Choices of the Heart
by DA Jones
Summary: Dumbledore is dead. The war is starting. It's all about the heart. Harry will do anything to protect Ginny. But he is not the only one with a loved one to protect, and even the enemy will die for what is 'right'. H/G, D/P, R/H, Cho/Mike, many others.
1. Chapters 1 & 2

A/N This is a modified version of a novel I've been writing for a couple of years, it is pre DH and seriously AU now. It is also posted at Harry Potter fanfiction under my penname of Ydnas Odell. Incidentally I'm a prefect at HPFF and known as DA Jones there and here. If you keep that all in mind, I think you can greatly enjoy this. In many ways it is a horror story, although it is also an adventure and has multiple romances.

**The Choices of the Heart  
**_**by Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones)**_

**Chapter 1: A Grey Man **

_Quote: Hope is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out._

_Attribution: Vaclav Havel, Czech playwright and president_

He felt as if he were a grey man in a hole, bare in a blizzard, huddled in a ball, hollowed and howling at the gloom. Alone, terrified and frozen, watching the monster come. He had all the responsibilities of Atlas and harried haggard shoulders; but he wouldn't shirk, would engage it head on and would never shiver nor even shrug -- for there was nothing to do, but do it. And so Harry would.

But as for now – and there was only the tortured now – he was immersed in the calmest peace he could expect for a long while, but it was not a peace of comfort. For in that now -- Dumbledore was dead and Ginny was Harry's ex-girlfriend and under the beech tree with Ron and Hermione, Harry was mourning hard. Those who watched him - and there were many - saw that he was stonily silent and his eyes were dry, but inside he felt as miserable as he had in his whole life. Perhaps he was beyond grief.

For breaking-up with Ginny, especially the way he had - even though it was necessary - was a frigid, rancid, and inhuman thing to do and in a certain light Harry imagined it might be considered cowardly, even Pettigrew like and with great trepidation he feared what Ron and the other Weasleys would do when they found out. He needed them - for they were the steel trellis of his courage.

He knew he was risking their support by putting aside the best part of his life. Yet, it had to be done. For the enemy, especially its leader was incapable of mercy. By stepping away from Ginny now, he hoped he could lessen her pain and risk. And so he had spoken the hardest words of his life: "_Ginny listen….I can't be involved with you anymore. We got to stop seeing each other…We can't be together…"*_

Ginny had rescued him. She said he had rescued her from the Chamber and he had, but somehow now it was the other way around. Physically he had rescued her, but mentally and emotionally she had rescued him. Their togetherness, their rightness was of a depth that would forever remain unspoken for some emotions are beyond expression. The simple act of holding her small but firm hand in his created a surge of almost divine and glowing happiness. Something that really shouldn't have been his given his life.

So he had to protect her. Place her far from him like a torch in the window of a cabin glimpsed from afar in a vicious storm, lighting the tough slough ahead, but safeguarded from the cruel, savage wind which would snuff it.

Their break-up was a tender act, a kind of caress of care, but it was agony. He had wounded himself with a wound more grievous than Voldemort could have ever hoped to inflict and the worst part was that it was not wholly his wound. For Ginny shared it. The bond between them was almost physical and he could not slice it without hurting her too - and so this was the greatest pain of all.

He knew he loved Ginny because the breakup with Cho hadn't hurt at all. Losing Cho had been no more than a disappointment, like losing the snitch and that Quidditch match to Cedric. In fact, losing Cedric had hurt a lot more, but that wasn't a fair comparison. Cedric had died and Cho? He and Cho and had just sort of drifted apart like untwisted kites on separate strings.

He still saw Cho from time to time, in the halls and had known she was safe and was glad for that, although he still felt guilty for the pain he had caused her by letting Cedric die. The main thing was that she wasn't in any particular danger because of him, not unless she was foolhardy enough to go seeking it, and she was no Gryffindor. In fact, she was graduating now - Harry hoped it was to be a wizarding accountant or something equally safe - although Dumbledore's death meant there would be no leaving ceremony.

But Ginny was different. Their love was true and the danger she was in because of that, no matter what he did, was immense. So he had been forced to push her away. To protect her and to save her, but also for the others, for he knew that fires had a habit of consuming everything and that firefighters who stay to save their home let the village burn down.

The sacrifice he had made was for the future, perhaps their future, but as a consequence the agony of 'now' was so bad he wondered if he would have the strength to move on. The only true motivation was that it was only a triumphant future that could end the pain, for not even death if he failed to succeed would remove the guilt.

On a more earthbound level he wondered if he should have waited until after the funeral to tell Ginny. He swore that she understood, but on the other hand he could see it in her face, no matter how hard she had tried to hide it, how upset she had been. But what more could he have done?

Where should he have told her? On the train? There wouldn't have been any privacy and the others would've tried to talk him out of it.

He had only decided this morning, and if had he waited until Bill and Fleur's wedding he was sure he wouldn't have had the strength, and she would've been in danger the whole while.

And if he had sent her a Dear Ginny letter that would've gone over swell.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Dear Ginny:_

_We have to break up. If we don't I'm afraid you'll die. Please forgive me!_

_Harry,_

_P.S. I can't risk saying what I want to say in case…in case of you know what._

Ron would've killed him and Hedwig would've never stopped biting his fingers plus Voldemort might've intercepted the letter. Which…..He sucked in air. No madness led that way. And it wouldn't happen. He knew he wasn't the only one who would stop it with his life.

He wasn't alone in this war. He wasn't a grey man in a hole, even though that was very difficult thing for him to remember. The truth was that even if he ran off to try to spare them, the others would still fight

All he really wanted was to be without fear and without worry just for awhile, to softly hold Ginny in his arms, and to see Ron and Hermione happy. To see smiles, instead of worrisome frowns, and to know that no one else was in danger because of him. But that wish would be a long-time coming and he knew it.

Happiness would mean a long slough through his nightmares, a twisted and unpredictable and all too real landscape peopled with Demantors and Werewolves and Death Eaters and for sure full of the blood of dying friends, if not his own. It couldn't be helped and in the end his efforts might not be enough. All could end badly.

This was his last hour at Hogwarts. Soon the Hogwarts Express would depart for King's Cross and he only wanted to use the last few minutes before they had to retrieve their trunks to find a second of levity with Ron and Hermione. A sole tick of the clock in which the three were just best mates and not their world's forlorn hope. For without Ginny his sanity and his normality depended in a large measure on them.

But he knew it wouldn't come. For one thing he just couldn't get what he had done to Ginny off his mind, or worse what might happen if his resolve about not seeing Ginny broke.

Besides happiness did not become him, it was almost alien to his existence before Ginny which was why…He was destined he knew, to be always stressed, always under-pressure, always in fear of his own life and for the lives of others until this was done… If ever he was happy -- except when he was with Ginny who somehow made him forget these things -- it almost felt like a kind of dereliction of duty. Who was he, after all if not the chosen one; with all the suffering and loss that implied?

But Ginny made him remember that he was Harry. To her, after her first brush with embarrassment, he had always been nothing but. The memories of the last three glorious weeks were golden; the feel of the cinnamon curls and silky swirls of her fiery red hair under his thumb, so appropriate for a Gryffindor and her alluring flower and spice scent; so full of the enticing honeysuckle and roses. Or, the lithe, sweet and sexily sleek way she rode her broom, hips slightly askew.

Her lips were as sweet as treacle tart; she was dainty lightness in his arms, but steel strong. She always seemed to know what was right and was smart and kind, (once in a rare while besting Hermione, defending Luna). Passionate. Damn Passionate.

She had moaned eagerly the rare times he had held her close; their bodies a barely controlled and entwined flame flaring against constraint, wit almost totally lost to want. She knew him, loved him beyond her heart, completely. It was mutual. Yet he couldn't tell her and had been forced to put her aside.

But he had too, for people who cared for him had a nasty habit of dying. He wouldn't risk that, no matter the pain it was better to lose her in his heart, than in reality. For If Voldemort somehow got hold of Ginny...

He was repeating his thoughts, a clear sign of his worry. It wouldn't happen. He wouldn't let it, because, if he was capable of it he would kill the man.

Could he kill Voldemort?

It was frightening to think that he might somehow pull all this off and then fail at the penultimate moment, letting everyone else down because unlike the evil Lord Voldemort he had a conscious. If he couldn't kill the dark lord how many more would die?

He tightly squeezed the fake horcrux in his hand again. The fake locket was only one reason among many that Voldemort should pay. Obtaining it had caused a great and noble man his life. And it wasn't even real.

Harry again repeated his mantra: _the Locket, the Cup, the Snake, and something of Gryffindor's or Ravenclaw's._

Now what? That was a tough question.

He would try, that was all. Dumbledore was dead. Since there was no one else to do it he had to take a stand, if only to give the others a chance. It was….he realized, much like pushing Ginny aside, his only choice.

Was this choice an extraordinary thing? He didn't think so. Fighting for those you love wasn't heroism; but human nature. To Harry heroes were those who did things for people they didn't even know, based just on principles, like strangers who crawled into burning Lories or Neville and Luna fighting at the ministry for Sirius a man they didn't even know.

But he wouldn't let that pair take any insane chances again. Thankfully, they would be safe at Hogwarts, with Ginny. Maybe he would even risk a word to Neville about keeping an eye out for the girls, for he wouldn't put it past Ginny to plot something and drag Luna after her and Neville was sensible most of the time.

He was taking Ron and Hermione with him. He had tried to talk them out of it, but they wouldn't listen to reason. They both believed that if there had been a time to turn back, it has long passed. They were in this for the long haul, as bond and drawn to him as if Merlin himself had cast the sticking charm. They wouldn't leave him short of death. The degree to which this touched him - like his passion for Ginny- was beyond words. They gave him hope, just as Ginny did.

That was important, because it was all they really had. That and determination. But determination wasn't always enough. It hadn't been enough for the Spartans at Thermopylae, nor Merlin in his final duel, or Godric and Byrhtnoth at Maldon. But it was a start.

The path of revenge would first pass through the Dursleys as he had promised Dumbledore he would go there. Then would come the wedding, the sole oasis of peace he could see in the coming horrors.

He imagined it and drew momentary joy from the images like a hungry Chizpurfle drew magic from a wand. He daydreamed about what sort of outfits Fleur would inflict on Hermione and Ginny. He imagined what fun they would have, the joking and the plethora of pies prepared by Ms. Weasley; plus the twins were sure to pull some sort of prank involving fireworks.

He fantasized about dancing with Ginny. He had never done that. In the three weeks they had been together he had never asked her. They hadn't even been to Hogsmeade together.

After the wedding he would take Ron and Hermione with him to visit Godric's Hollow. He needed to see his parent's graves and he hoped there might be a clue at their home. He needed clues. Aside from the cup, the locket and the snake he didn't know what the other Horcruxes were; or where, aside from the snake to find any of them. But he would. He squeezed the locket yet again.

But to find the Horcruxes, to defend themselves, they only had what they had now. They needed more time, but didn't have much of it. How could he keep his friends safe? If they were hurt, how could he face Ginny and tell her that she had lost her brother and best friend because of him?

But Ron and Hermione were here now. They were coming with him to the Dursleys, which meant that this would be the best time he ever had at the Dursleys, in addition to the last. Then there was the wedding.

So, it wouldn't all go to hell right away. He had a small amount of time to enjoy life with his friends. He found himself suddenly smiling at his mates.

Surprisingly the sole tick of happy freedom had come.

--

A/n * Quote from HBP pg 646 Scholastic edition.

--

**Harry Potter & The Choices of the Heart  
by Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones)  
Chapter 2: A Bucket of Blood**

_QUOTE: Death is a fearful thing. _

_ATTRIBUTION: William Shakespeare, British dramatist, poet. Claudio, in Measure for Measure, act 3, sc. 1, l. 115. _

_He is in prison, and sentenced to death._

It was half an hour before Dumbledore's funeral and a child was dying.

"Zack I need the bucket!" she cried.

"Coming!" said Zacharias Smith as he hurried back to his twelve year old sister with the throw-up bucket. He arrived in the nick-of-time, placing it under her chin as she began the first heave. He rubbed the back of her neck as she retched violently for a full minute.

"Done, sis?"

She nodded and he wiped some residue from her chin with the side of his hand and after scraping it off on the bucket, pulled the container trepidatiously away to examine its contents. He sighed in relief and met the worried eyes of his sister: "Vomit, it's just vomit, Mindy."

There was quite a bit of it, the disgusting sticky fluid filled more than a third of the receptacle, but it was all yellow, there wasn't a trace of blood. They both lived in dread of bloody vomit, for the healers had told them that it meant the end. There was nothing more to be done. Mindy had a week, maybe two…if a miracle three and then he would lose his annoying but precious little sister.

He gave her some water, and watched as she slowly sipped it. Her hazel eyes still held a sharp spark in them, although the rest of her was far to drawn. His little sis was tough and brave as befit a Gryffindor.

Dumbledore had allowed a private sorting for her a year ago, just after the illness had begun, when there was still hope. Mindy might now never attend Hogwarts, but at least she had spent a glorious day at the school, obtained a flavor of what it would've been like, and had been sorted.

She lay back weakly on her scarlet sheets, panting; her face sweaty and entirely too pale and gaunt. She had a fever that wouldn't break - another sign of the end.

"I want Mum, why did she leave? Couldn't Dad just go?"

"You know they both had to attend…Dumbledore's...this thing for...for Dumbledore, it's important."

"Morgana's tits! Who cares about that old mud-blood loving fool?"

"Mindy!"

"I'm….Zack, I've only days... I need her," she said weakly.

"You've got me. Mindy, I'm not going anywhere." He ran his palm through her brown hair, and struggled to hide his grimace when part of it came out in his hand. "Mum and Dad love you, and you know they'll be back as soon as they can…this is important…not the...thing...but what comes after…the dark lord gave them something to do and…."

"I hope redcap's roger the Dark Lord!"

"Mindy if Mom and Dad ever catch you using that language?"

"What? I'm sort of immune to punishment now aren't I? Banish me to me room, ground me. Punish their dying little girl. I can't leave this room, I'm too weak. I can't eat...I even throw-up water...I need mum. I love you Zack, but your….your not her...you don't understand. How…"

He wrapped her in his arms, hugging her tightly.

"Mindy, I'm here. I'm not going to leave you…no matter what. I'm home from school now…for a reason…and…"

"I know…but Zack, you just don't understand. You can't. You don't have to go through this…you don't understand the pain…I'm scared Zack, I want mum"

His voice broke: "Don't be afraid Mindy, please where you're going is a wonderful place…"

"Maybe I won't go; maybe I'll be a ghost."

"No, you're going to go to a happy and pure place, Mindy. Don't be afraid. A paradise where the flow is perpetually warm and clear and there are no mudbloods or muggles to dirty it and magic is as beautiful and natural as breathing, where everyone is a Veela and birds sing opera and deer drink at brooks, where little girls never suffer and grandma and grandpa's house-elves always bake cookies …and you'll see Dainty."

"Really, dogs go to paradise?"

"Yes, Camelot has mutts."

"But, not any of the dirt-born, right?"

"No, not the mud-bloods."

A flicker of a grin crossed her otherwise greyed and grim face. "I think I'll like that, Zach."

"They pollute the flow. I can't see...nature letting…"

"That's what Mum and Dad are doing then? They went to fight the mud-bloods?"

"I think so…"

"I forgive them then."

Zach remembered overhearing the whispered conversation between his parents. It had been an anguished decision, his mother had cried horribly, but in the end they hadn't a choice, the dark lord expected his orders to be followed to the letter -- dying child or not.

"I just hope they'll be all right."

"They will be…."

"Zack, if mudbloods are so evil, why do you date one?"

"Megan?" Megan Jones, his beautiful bubbly blond, if only she hadn't been tainted by the filth of muggles – if only her magic had been spring-source clean.

"Yeh."

"I don't anymore," he replied somewhat bitterly. "I've broken up with her…we didn't agree about Dumbledore."

"But why did you date her?"

"Because Megan's pretty and a nice person and very optimistic."

"How can a mud-blood be a nice person?"

"Their people too Mindy…despite their flaws, a flawed mirror is still a mirror after-all and a flawed or tainted person is still a person even if their a muggle-born, it's not as if…"

"Their evil Zach and a creation of the dark; that's cut and dry - their why I'm dying."

"Mindy…"

"Zach, listen to me…promise me…that you'll help mum and dad when I'm gone. I know you haven't always thought the right way, but it is….you know your history…you're obsessed with it. What's been happening to the wizard race, since the first mud-blood?"

"We've been dying off, all sorts of ways, not usually cancer...but..."

"They're stealing our magic, reducing and polluting the flow, making it toxic, making us sick and they just don't see it…Megan and the others like her killed me Zack…their never conscious of doing it, but even if they know ...no one can willingly set aside magic…their half-breeds…inferior…murderous... malicious .and the worst part is that most of the world…doesn't under --I have to throw-up Zack."

He brought the bucket up to her. She upchucked viscously, her whole body shaking. When she was done, he looked at it and blanched.

_Oh, No._ "Mindy I love you."

"I love you to Zack."

"I'm talking you to St. Mungo's."

"I want to die here."

"I'm taking you to Mungo's."

"They can't do anything."

"I'm going to make them try."

"Zack, I don't want to die. Not yet."

He kissed her forehead and squeezed her hand: "I'm going to make them try. I'm going to help you up and then we are going to floo to St. Mungo's. Mum already packed a bag for you in case this happened. I'll send a message to mum and dad.

Finally she started crying. "Promise me Zack, you have to help Mom and Dad, you've got to help the Dark Lord, and it's the only way….that girls like me…."

"Mindy…it's not time for that promise yet! Do you understand me? It's not time! Now give me your arm…I'm going to help you up!"

A/n What do you think? Please let me know in a review.


	2. Chapters 3 to 6

The Choices of the Heart

By DA Jones

**Chapter 3: A Pair & A Pig**

_Quote: I'm very proud to be called a pig. It stands for pride, integrity and guts. _

_Attribution: Ronald Reagan_

As Zack and Mindy arrived at St. Mungo's, at Hogwarts Harry was watching Ron and Hermione serenely. The pair were lying back and watching the clouds.

Hermione was on her side with her head on Ron's shoulder and her hand draped over his stomach. Ron was holding her hand lightly with his right hand and stroking her hair with the left. He seemed almost asleep. Hermione's brown eyes were teary and red and at the moment she looked distant and pale and seemed to be arguing with herself, pondering and reasoning something out. Her lips were moving slightly as her expression seemed to change from despair to joy and back again. Finally she seemed to appropriate Ginny's fierce look.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Harry."

"Are you Ok?"

"Yeh, I'm just thinking."

"About what, Hermione?" murmured Ron sleepily, sitting up. Ron's eyes were also red with sadness, but he seemed otherwise content.

"That we can't give-up, Ron. We just can't. The entire world is depending on us..."

"All the world is depending on me, Hermione," said Harry "you and Ron don't have to come."

"We don't have a choice, we have to."

"Of course, you have a choice. You can just walk away."

"I thought we already settled this," said Ron sounding slightly annoyed "Harry, I thought we agreed we were going with you to the Dursley's."

Harry turned away from them. "You don't have to come... you don't need to risk--"

Hermione interrupted him: "What? Our lives, Harry... we have been risking our lives for you almost from the first day we meet. What is different now?" She was angry; maybe afraid that he would risk going off .by himself. But he wouldn't, not until the end. He wouldn't let them face Voldemort.

But he had to be honest. "I've been thinking about it, and I'm worried that you won't survive," said Harry shaking his head and looking down. "I'm sure I can do it, but I want you and Ron to make it through…and…"

Hermione walked over to Harry, hugged him and took his face between her hands. Harry tried to look away and to pull her hands away.

"Harry! Look at me, please!" She demanded. "We are going to be OK. Harry you are not going to fail. No one else … no one close… except V-Voldemort! I can't see a logical way. But I believe...I have faith in you Harry."

"Why, Hermione? Why do you believe? Why do you stay?"

"Harry, do you have to ask?" Tears flooded her eyes. She hugged him hard.

"Thank you Hermione!" he whispered his face buried in her locks. He was glad for her faith in him, for her care... but the well was rushing up again.

Despair. Hope. Those two feelings were warring within. Hermione's faith was hope. He tried to cling to it, that little sliver of light in the well. It was not given off only by Ginny, after-all. So he clung to Hermione and then…..

He was crying. Harry tried to pull away from Hermione, to extricate himself from her arms. It wouldn't do for anyone to see him cry. People watched him, now more then ever. He was Harry Potter, the boy-who-lived, supposed savior of the wizarding world, Voldemort's sworn enemy. If he broke down in public it wouldn't be good for morale. People would think that he was giving up.

But Hermione grabbed at him almost desperately, hugging harder, murmuring:

"No, matter what Harry, we need to stay positive. If we give in, he'll win, no matter what we do. We have to be strong and logical; and we have to believe."

And suddenly to Harry's horror he was bawling. They were deep and cleansing wails, but still Harry tried to stop himself.

But he could not hold it back, couldn't hold back the pain any longer. The list of dead was already too long and the war had just started, and Ginny…he had hurt Ginny. He knew it.

Hermione began crying in sync with him as Ron began rubbing very small awkward circles on Hermione's back and patted Harry's shoulder. "There, there Harry. There, there Hermione," Ron said as silent tears streamed down his face unbeknownst to him.

"D-Dumbledore is dead and I broke up with Ginny!"

"YOU DID WHAT!" roared Ron his tears stopping almost immediately and his face turning beet red.

"I- I broke up with Ginny!"

"Why'd you do that?" asked Hermione between sobs, her voice strangely calm.

"I need –"

"You think your protecting her," said Hermione in the same tone she often used when explaining facts from lessons.

"Voldemort will-"

"If you've hurt her," warned Ron.

"That's noble Harry," said Hermione "but misguided if….

"I think she understands…" said Harry solemly his tears finally starting to subside.

"Harry, if ….you'll need her."

"I need her to be safe, Hermione. I can't endanger her. Not even for my happiness, when this is over….if…."

"She loves you Harry."

"Don't say that out loud please Hermione."

"But it's true. And it's not just Ginny. I love you…Ron…"

"I'm not going to say I love him, Hermione."

"Say it."

"Ah, crap. I love you Harry."

"All the Weasley's do…"

"When they hear what I did to Ginny…"

"You'll be alright as long as you didn't hurt her mate."

"I didn't…I swear, not intentionally."

"Love is what makes you powerful, Harry. You have what Voldemort, can never have, I really don't think you should push Ginny away…"

"I need to protect her."

"I know, and you know what. I do to." Hermione heaved a heavy sigh and sniffing wiped the tears from her cheeks. "My goodness, I think I cried more than Cho. It's the funeral. Dumbedore's gone; I still can't believe it…..But think about poor Michael Corner, if we're this bad, he must be swimming in Lake Cho."

This made Harry and Ron laugh. .

"Hermione that sounds vaguely dirty," said Ron with a smirk trying to get her to smile. She did and playfully shoved him.

"No, not with Cho she is entirely too modest for that," said Harry. "Besides, there is nothing romantic or exciting about her tears. Just sadness. I've never understood how Michael puts up with them. She's never been able to get over Cedric and it's my fault it happened. He must be twenty times the gent."

He looked downcast again, as did the others, though the tears had stopped.

There was an awkward silence for a long time, and then Ron said "We are going to win Harry, we will avenge Dumbledore. Harry, V-Voldemort will be dead and we'll all still be friends at one-hundred and twenty."

It was the first time he had ever said Voldemort's name. Hermione noticed and said proudly... "You finally said his name Ron, you said it!"

"V-Voldemort, yeah, while I'm not letting the git creep keep me from saying his name anymore. On the day of the battle I'll look Voldemort in the face and say: Hey, U-NO-POO! What's with the B.O.!"

Harry laughed and asked Ron, "I guess this means that you conquered your other fear too, huh?"

"What fear?"

"Well, you two are a couple now aren't you?"

Immediately Hermione blushed and Ron's ears turned bright red, but he squeezed Hermione's hand very tight. Harry's heart soared... at last the gits had realized they belonged together.

"So, for how long?" he asked.

Ron blushed more ... and then paled. In a low voice he said "S-since Dumb-, since Dumbledore died, Harry."

"S-some anniversary isn't it, dear?" He whispered to Hermione. Hermione lightly kissed Ron on the lips. Harry turned away embarrassed.

"We are together Ron ... it doesn't matter... we will find some other day to celebrate it, that's all." She kissed him again.

"It was Fleur," said Hermione. She pulled away from Ron and looked at Harry. "Then Tonks and Lupin. Did you see them holding hands at the funeral, Harry?"

He nodded.

Tears came to her eyes again. "That night everyone was so sad and they thought of love and just before – I was so scared!" She sniffed, wiped her eyes and told the tale further.

"When Flitwick came running down to Snape's saying there where Death Eater's in the castle, all I could think was: Where is Ron? But Luna and I had to take care of Flitwick, so we cast a charm to float him and the two of us started up to the hospital wing from Snape's office. And I was so scared for Ron!" She paused and with a strange look added, "Luna was too!"

She continued. "We were worried about Ginny and Neville also, but my heart was breaking for Ron." She hugged Ron again and then continued.

"Harry on the way up from the dungeons we ran into Ernie and some Hufflepuffs and he said something about the Dark Mark. Then you ran past, and then two death eaters, brother and sister, I think. The last two saw us and shot some curses at us. We ducked and Luna and Ernie sent some hexes back but missed. Then Tonks ran by in pursuit. She seemed very frantic and upset and she screamed that someone had been hurt by Greyback and told us to get Dumbledore or Madam Pomfrey. Ernie and Susan followed her while Justin went to find Madam Pomfrey."

"And... and …"

"What?" Harry demanded after a moment or two of impatience.

Hermione looked embarrassed. "Well, there was so much blood, Tonks was covered with it, it was on the walls, the ceiling everywhere, Harry. And I was so sure…that Ron... that Ron was... was..."

Hermione paused to get her emotions under check, took a depth breath and continued her tale. Her voice became low and small.

"I thought that Ron must be dead or a werewolf. So I fainted, Harry...Luna revived me, I don't know how, as she seemed very pale and weak too, but she held me up and kept the charm on Flitwick. I was so sure that Ron was dead or a werewolf, that I actually was relieved for a moment to hear that it was Bill. How terrible is that?"

Her voice gained a bit more vigor and she continued her tale. "Later Luna said to me: 'Just tell him Hermione.' You know how she is! But I couldn't! I Just couldn't."

"Then I saw Bill and Fleur; and I realized I couldn't wait any longer for the prat, so as soon as we were alone at all, in the hall to the common room I grabbed him and kissed him. You know what the git said then, Harry?"

"No."

She had stopped crying now and actually had a glow of happiness. Ron squeezed her wand hand.

"The prat said, "What took you so long, Hermione?" "As if all this time, he was the one waiting for me!"

"Well I was!"

"Ron, the guy is supposed to ask the girl. That is how romance works."

"Lavender, asked me first."

That was a mistake. Harry thought. He could see the hurt in Hermione's eyes. She scowled, he could see Ron and Hermione's first fight as a couple brewing, so he quickly interjected

"Hermione, you said Ernie and Susan went after Tonks?"

"Yes, I talked to Ernie yesterday," answered Hermione. "He says that by the time they were outside the Death Eaters had all left. He said that Tonks went back immediately to find Lupin so he could try to help Madam Pomfrey with Bill. But, Susan, Harry ...Susan..."

"Yes"

"Susan was the first to find Dumbledore," said Hermione sadly. "And it's very hard on her, Dumbledore being her godfather and all."

"Dumbledore was her godfather?"

"The Bones family was very close to Dumbledore, at one time," explained Hermione "especially when Susan was little, but then there was a falling out over something. Susan would never say what, only that it was ridiculous."

Harry thought back to the moment when he had reached Dumbledore's side. At the time he had been too overwhelmed with his own emotions to notice the crowd much. But there had been a lot of Hufflepuffs; Susan Bones had stood in the forefront with Ernie's arms around her and a look of horror, shock and overwhelming grief etched on her face that had closely matched his own.

He now realized that up until the moment Ginny had softly taken his hand and led him away Susan had stood there crying and murmuring softly "No, no, its not him! Not Dumbledore! Not my Dumbly! It not him!"

Harry swore to himself. Ernie and his friends had been confused, but if he had had taken just the few seconds needed to explain the situation they would have helped. He would not have battled Snape alone and then maybe he wouldn't have escaped. The loyal Hufflepuffs had come to his aid anyway, but too late! This made Harry think.

"Ron, where were the other DA members?"

"Well...we... you see." Ron shrugged and looked hopelessly at Hermione.

"Didn't you use the coins Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Well, before you left I was trying to tell you they where compromised, but you left so fast."

Harry remembered that on top of the astronomy tower Malfoy had said to Dumbledore that he had copied the idea of the coins from the DA, so he must have known.

"So you didn't use the coins?"

"No, since we didn't have DA meeting's this year I didn't replace them with anything either," said Hermione with a trace of guilt.

"So you just grabbed Luna and Neville and found Ginny and that was it?"

Ron said: "No, we rounded up all the Gryffindor D.A. members that were in the common room or nearby and asked for their help and also sent Pigwidgeon to Luna. All the Gryffs volunteered for shifts, plus Padma since she was there visiting her sister... When Luna arrived she had Cho and Michael Corner in tow, apparently she had interrupted their snogfest in some corridor and talked them into coming. "

"Cho came? Why would Cho listen to Luna?"

"Cho would do anything to defeat Voldemort and revenge Cedric," answered Hermione. "Maybe you should forgive her and accept her as a friend Harry… Did you really believe you trained all those people just so that they could pass the Defense against the Dark Arts exam? Would they risk being expelled just for that? Yes, they all joined for other reasons too. For instance, Cho wanted to snog you, silly."

Harry blushed.

"Harry you're a great teacher," said Hermione "it's amazing how many of the DA got E's on their owls, even Lavender. But they didn't take...deep down I think they all know what's going to happen, they want to defend themselves, but more important they want to help you. You're not the only one that wants Voldemort gone and besides you are their friend...and they can't bear the thought..." she blinked rapidly and trailed off.

"In the final battle, I think they will all be there"... said Ron. "Even Zacharias...though I'm not sure on which side."

"Ron!" said Hermione.

Ron ignored her and continued: "The DA really is your army. Harry we should've had the meetings this year."

Harry thought about this and frowned. "Yes, we should've had the meetings...not only would Dumbledore still be alive, but Luna would've had her friends."

At last, they began to walk back to the castle, to change out of their dress robes and grab their trunks for the train. But another thought came to Harry, as they passed the heavy ministry security at the portcullis.

"What about the Felix Felicis? Did you use it like I asked?"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a look. Ron spoke first. "Well, I gave some to my sister, 'cause she's my sister and you would have hexed me if didn't. But no one else."

"I wanted you to take that too, and everyone else. You could have been killed."

"Yes, but it takes a long-time to brew and you need it more; you're the one that has to kill Voldemort," said Hermione.

We didn't really think we would need it that night ...but we gave it to Ginny, she thinks everyone took it," explained Ron.

They were now just outside the Gryffindor common room (for the last time-Harry realized with a pang) and about to speak to the fat lady.

"And losing either of you wouldn't have been painful?" he asked.

"Yes!" admitted Hermione and hugged him again. "But we're not the same as Ginny. We are only your best friends, Ginny is your soul! Which is why…"

"I'm not re-considering Hermione," he snapped quickly. "it's just too dangerous."

At that exact moment Ginny appeared at the base of the stair to the girl's dormitory lugging her trunk. Half-dried tears on her cheeks. She spotted them enter and ran right for Ron, her luscious red hair flying behind her. Her brother grabbed her and hugged her hard.

"Ginny!"

"Ron, Harry broke up with me!"

"I know Gin."

Harry's throat caught. Ginny was beautiful even when distraught. He had thought she understood. She had seemed to take it so calmly. "Ginny, I'd hoped you were all right. I thought you understood - I just... I..." his voice broke. He wanted to take her in his arms, but he knew he couldn't, shouldn't.

Just then came a shout and a little girl's voice, raised in high-anger; a voice Harry was vaguely familiar with. He turned.

A young pug faced black haired girl dressed in what appeared to be a brand new freshly pressed yellow sun dress was glowering up at him, she was much shorter than Harry, shorter than Ginny even. Her wand was raised.

"Harry, how could you?" she said. "I'm so very angry. You're supposed to be a hero Harry, a role-model; you're so beautiful with Ginny. You're supposed to love her, cherish her. You broke up with her at funeral Harry. Heroes don't break up with girls at a funeral, Harry. Only a pathetic pig does. You're a pathetic pig Harry."

"Romilda," began Ginny from behind him "you don't…"

But she never finished her sentence, for in the next moment Harry was on the ground feeling distinctly Dudley like, for he now had a pig-like snout and a curly hairy tail.

Romilda spun on her heels and stalked away as Hermione said wryly: "The Porcine Jinx. Impressive. She's been studying her pig Latin. Harry, didn't you say once that Hagrid…"

"Oink….I mean, yes."

Ron was actually laughing at him. "It could be worse mate. Romilda knows the bat bogey hex. Ginny's taught it to Demelza and Demelza has been teaching it to all her friends."

"I'm sorry Harry," murmured Ginny as Hermione led her away. "I'll try to talk to her."

The Gryffindor students that remained, their parents and siblings had stopped their sad goodbyes and packing and stared at Harry as he sat on the floor oinking. This was not the way Harry had imagined his last moments in Gryffindor.

* * *

**Harry Potter and Choices of the Heart ****  
****by Ydnas Odell**

**Chapter 4: McGonagall's Assignment **

_  
__QUOTE: War is not a life: it is a situation, one which may neither be ignored nor accepted. __ATTRIBUTION: T.S. (Thomas Stearns) Eliot (1888–1965), Anglo-American poet, critic. A Note on War Poetry, st. 5. _

Mindy threw-up again the second she steeped out of the floo into St. Mungo's. Zack barely caught it in the bucket. There was more blood, but he ignored it and helped her to a seat in the emergency room.

Aside from a woman who seemed to have been dyed like a Zebra, someone who was holding his ear in his hand (probably a minor apparition accident) and a screaming, hissing man whose girlfriend had apparently turned his private parts into a snake, it seemed rather quiet.

Once Mindy was seated, Zacharias practically ran to the counter, there was a very fat officious looking nurse in a white robe at the counter.

"Help, my sister is dying!"

"So is everyone, sir" she said dryly.

"I need your help."

"Is she breathing?"

"Yes."

"Bleeding."

"She's vomiting up blood."

"Conscious?"

"Yes"

"Has she been cursed?"

"No."

"Does she have a history of gastro-intestinal illness?"

"She has cancer."

"What type?"

"Stomach…flow induced.

"Fill all this out. When it's done she'll be seen." With a bang the nurse slammed a huge pile of forms on the desk. The stack was so heavy that the desk actually wobbled. It seemed to Zach that there were five hundred forms.

"Can you at least look at her?"

"I'll keep an eye on her, but I can't do anything until you fill-out these forms in triplicate sir."

"You don't understand, my sister is dying."

"Like I said, so is everyone. She'll live long enough for you to fill out the forms."

He sat, and summoned a quill and large pot of ink. There was a little blood on the corner of Mindy's mouth, and she was looking sleepy. "Hey, stay awake."

"Just tired you know, it's hard to sleep. The pain."

"They'll see you soon; I've just got to fill out all these forms."

"Do it fast please…did you floo mom and dad?"

"No, I'll send an owl as soon as I get this all done and see to you being seen. Here, here's a Witches Weekly why don't you try to read this."

"I love you Zach."

"I love you too."

Mindy started trying to read and Zack began studiously filling in the forms.

* * *

Meanwhile at Hogwarts just as Harry ended Romilda's porcine Jinx by wordlessly casting Finite Incantatem; Jimmy Peakes ran up to him and handed him a parchment. Harry shuddered slightly remembering what had happened the last time Jimmy had done this.

"Professor McGonagall said to tell you to meet her in Dumble-- I mean, her office as soon as you were ready, Harry."

"Thanks, Jimmy."

Harry was annoyed. What could Professor McGonagall want with him now? He was about to leave Hogwarts forever and he almost didn't feel the need to respond to her message. However, she was a member of the Order of the Phoenix and they were at least trying to help.

He pulled himself off the floor, and went to his dorm, avoiding Ron's angry stares. He wordlessly cast Locomotor on his trunk and Hedwig's cage and deposited them in the entrance hall with the other students' luggage. He then trudged up to the 6th Floor. Harry wondered what McGonagall wanted? Had Dumbledore's portrait awoken?

When he arrived at the Gargoyle he mumbled _Pumpkin Pasties _, the password that was written on the parchment. The Gargoyle slid back and Harry was carried up the moving stairs. He knocked at the heavy oak door.

"Enter Harry," said McGonagall.

"Ma'am," he answered politely and glanced around the office. It looked the same. The new Headmistress hadn't changed a thing. The spinning and smoking instruments still spun and smoked and even the silver ink pot with the enormous scarlet quill was there, although the quill had faded. Was McGonagall taking Dumbledore's death hard? She had seemed to be a close friend.

He looked around for Fawkes. Fawke's golden perch was there, but the Phoenix was missing. Was Fawkes dead too? This seemed impossible; a phoenix didn't die. There was also that one additional portrait. He looked at it. Dumbledore still slumbered.

"Wotcher Harry," said Tonks. Harry broke away from his analysis of the room. He had not noticed at first that she was standing there. Tonks looked very solemn. Her hair was black, it had been bubble gum pink during the funeral just minutes before. Why had she changed it now?

Surprisingly, Tonks and McGonagall were not the only two in the room. Angelina Johnson was sitting in a chair at the side of the desk.

"Hello, Harry!"

"Hello Angelina," he said shocked. "Why are you here?"

"Harry, Ms. Johnson is an Auror's apprentice, and also a newly admitted member of the Order," said Professor McGonagall.

"I've wanted to thank you Harry. If not for the D.A I don't think I would have passed the auror entrance exam," said Angelina.

He smiled, but inside Harry felt guilty. Angelina was thanking him for helping her become an Auror, but the way things were going that was about the same as thanking him for giving her a fatal disease.

"I've called you here for another purpose Harry," said Professor McGonagall, "but first I'd like to ask you again... where did you go with Professor Dumbledore on the night he died?"

Harry knew she would ask this. "Sorry, Professor but you know I can't reveal that."

Why was she asking him this with Tonks and Angelina present?

"I say again, Harry ... the circumstances have changed. Professor Dumbledore's death makes it necessary to tell me."

Harry was mad. Why didn't she understand? "I HAVE MY ORDERS, PROFESSOR!"

Tonks seemed to take on darker shades and her face grew hard and stern. She stepped closer to Harry and fixed him in the eyes, looking fierce. Suddenly she screamed at him.

"HOW DO YOU EXPECT THE ORDER TO HELP YOU HARRY, IF YOU WON'T TELL US WHAT YOU NEED HELP WITH?"

Harry paled and stepped back. Tonks certainly looked frightening; however after a moment's reflection he suspected that it might have more to do with her metamorphmagus ability. He didn't remember Tonks raising her voice at him before. He hadn't believed she could be angry; it just wasn't part of her personality. Tonks didn't get angry, she got depressed. He didn't think she was really angry. Her anger looked false; it just did not seem right.

Harry thought he understood why McGonagall had brought Tonks and Angelina to her office. Did she think that if she brought in younger members who were his friends, he would tell them the secret?

Dumbledore had told Harry to tell only Ron and Hermoine. Unless Harry heard otherwise from Dumbledore's portrait, or in some mysterious way from the deceased man himself he wasn't going to disobey.

"Dumbledore gave me these orders for a reason," answered Harry flatly.

Tonks glared at him with her arms crossed while Angelina sat calmly looking concerned. McGonagall removed her spectacles and cleaned them with a handkerchief, placed them back on her face, took a breath and with a very serious expression on her face said:

"I'm sure Harry that Dumbledore did not mean for you not to reveal his plans to us. He had absolute trust in me. He trusted Tonks! He trusted the members of the order!"

Harry felt pressed. Why didn't they understand? He snapped back, "SNAPE WAS A MEMBER OF THE ORDER AND HE TRUSTED HIM!"

"THAT IS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCE, MR. POTTER!"

Harry desperately wanted to leave the room and leave Hogwarts. Dumbledore was dead and he didn't like keeping information from people he cared about and who only wanted the information to help him. But it would be dangerous to let them help. He stared at the floor, silent.

Then Angelina tried a different tactic and laid her hand on Harry's shoulder and looked him in the eyes and smiled trying to act like a concerned older sister; which in many ways she was; a concerned, older Quidditch sister.

"Harry, please...tell us…this burden can't be yours alone! …Remember Quidditch Harry? Remember teamwork, Harry? Even YOU -- the best Gryffindor seeker of all time, could not win the Quidditch cup alone. Do you really think you can beat You-know-who alone? Let us help!"

Any chance Angelina had of convincing Harry was lost, by her refusal to say Voldemort's name. If even a Gryffindor Auror refused to say Tom Riddle's self imposed name, what chance had they?

He sadly shook his head.

"No Angelina, Voldemort is not a snitch, nor a quaffle. He's a bludger of death I can't avoid, and with Voldemort beaters can't help. No...Angelina... for a seeker Quidditch is an individual game amidst a team sport, and I'm afraid my task is the same. Trust me, this is a burden you don't want to help me with. It is enough that R-".

He had stopped himself before he has said Ron and Hermione, but he could tell that McGonagall had taken notice. Angelina had tricked him. She was apparently good with Muggle psychology. Had Tonks and Angelina tried to do what Dean called a classic good cop-bad cop routine on him? Or was Tonks truly cross?

He would have to warn Ron and Hermione that the Professor would probably try to interrogate them next.

The Headmistress sighed, "OK, Harry we will drop this for now. But you must think about it over the summer. When you return to Hogwarts we can discuss this again."

Harry stayed silent. She did not know that he was not returning to Hogwarts.

"I called you here, Harry because I need you to organize and lead the members of Dumbledore's Army. We need help providing the security for the trip home on the Hogwarts Express."

"Professor, the train leaves in a few minutes, how can I have time to do that?"

"I've announced a delay of an hour due to the funeral running long."

"Do you expect the train to be attacked Professor?"

"I think we have to assume it will be. Now we have planned, of course for members of the Order to be on the train and the ministry has sent Aurors. Also, the professors will be riding the train. Some of the parents are also traveling. However, we must also be aware that there are muggle parents and a few muggle siblings aboard. Unfortunately we also have to assume that at least some of the parents may be Death Eaters." She hesitated ..."Or some students...so in addition to guarding the train, we must be on guard for internal treachery."

She continued looking pained. "I wasn't going to request this, I would prefer not to risk students, but some of the Aurors have been called away to defend against Death Eaters attacks on important Muggles in London and we need to enhance security!"

"Professor, why do we need to take the train? I know we planned it at the meeting after Dumbledore's death. But wouldn't it be safer just to Floo everyone out. Or escort them to the edge of the grounds and apparate out?

"Harry, as you have surely realized by now -- the Hogwarts Express is a powerful enchantment. It provides protection, security and some other things for the students... and Hogwarts itself."

"But in my second year I didn't take the train, neither did Ron."

"We have other ways to cast or remove the enchantments Harry, but not efficiently on large groups. We could not lift those enchantments from every student individually, which we would have to do if we didn't use the train. It takes two to three hours for each student and there are hundreds of students at the school. We did this for the dozen students who left before the funeral, but it would take days to lift it from each student. Wizard parents can help lift some of the enchantments themselves after their children have returned home, but this isn't an option for the Muggle-born. Maybe, if we had started right after Dumbledore died we might have managed, but we had other priorities, and the parents are not going to wait for days for their students to arrive home. Not in the present danger. No, Harry, the train is... the only practical thing."

Harry agreed. He thought it was suspicious that of the twelve students who had left, eight were Slytherin. None however, were from Harry's year. Were their parent's Death Eaters who knew of an impending attack on the train?

"What do you want the D.A. to do, professor?"

"You will arrange the details with Tonks and Angelina. But in short Harry... stand guard if the worst happens! Defend the younger students, but this is actually more important... defend yourself! I would not willingly sacrifice any student, but..." she grimaced and paused and made sure that Harry was aware that she was very serious about her next point. "Harry you are too important! If you have to abandon the first years to survive, do it!"

Harry knew that both he and McGonagall knew that he would never do such a thing. A Slytherin might, but no Gryffindor ever would.

"Professor, not all the D.A is here," said Harry. "Hannah hasn't been at school since her mother was killed and the Patil twins and Zacharias went home before the funeral. Some left last year."

"It's true, that Alicia isn't available. She is on another assignment, but Lee is here and I'm sure he is wherever Fred and George are," said Angelina

"So counting you, Ron and Hermione that leaves twenty-four members; just enough - two for each car. There will also be an Auror on each car and at least one facility member. If Merlin is kind, that should be sufficient," said Tonks.

"There are only twenty-two!" said Harry quickly. "Marietta and Cho aren't members any longer!"

McGonagall spoke sternly. "I have thought of that, Harry. They are seventh year students and powerful witches and most importantly you trained them!" She continued "Ms. Edgecomb may not be trustworthy and you have your emotional issues with Ms. Chang ... but this is a case in which you will need the wands. Both are very capable and Ms. Chang has plans to enroll in Auror school and perhaps I shouldn't tell you this; but she is on the short list of seventh year students being considered for the Order. I hope we have no need for them. ... But we may need their help Harry. Include them in your plans."

Harry did not like this, but nodded. Marietta could be included in the D.A. just for this task and he knew Cho would fight hard, but he was concerned about her. The possibility of Cho joining the Order had not occurred to him.

He felt this was a bad idea. Cho could be a target, like Ginny. If Voldemort thought he still cared about her, he might try to use Cho to set a trap. He realized he needed to talk to Cho, before she left school to warn her, but there didn't seem to be the time.

He knew if Voldemort caught Cho, he would torture her endlessly with the cruciatus curse. His mind was filled with horrible images of a screaming and writhing Cho hopelessly crying out to him for help as Voldemort mercilessly shouted "Crucio!" again and again. He expunged them with a shake. He had loved her once (had he?) and couldn't bear the thought. Nor could he let it happen.

"I'll need to talk to Ron and Hermione to plan this and how will we arrange such a quick meeting of the D.A?" said Harry.

"I've already arranged that," said McGonagall. "I believe that at this time, all should be awaiting you near the room of requirements. Tonks and Angelina will accompany you there. Good Luck!"

--

Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart - Chapters 5 & 6

**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart ****  
****by Ydnas Odell **

**Chapter 5: A Potion Lesson**  
_  
_

* * *

_QUOTE: War never takes a wicked man by chance, the good man always. _  
_  
ATTRIBUTION: Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.), Greek tragedian. Philoctetes, l. 436. _

* * *

On the night before Dumbledore's funeral standing amidst the bodies at a large Muggle morgue in the heart of London, Draco and Snape were working on batches of potion for the Dark Lord. Snape was chopping and gathering and measuring and Draco was mixing and stiring under Snape's impatient glare

It was closer to morning than midnight and Draco was cold and out on his feet. His shoulders ached severely and he had been guzzling Muggle coffee continuously for the last eight hours. For the last twenty-four he had taken vials of invigoration draught every three hours.

He had been up for more then sixty hours at a stretch and slightly more then fourty-eight hours ago he had attempted to kill Dumbledore and failed. Snape had done the honors and Draco knew that it was only due to this fact that he was still alive to suffer this exhaustion. He had never been this tired. His eyes were sore and red and had refused to stay open and he had wanted to violently shiver but didn't have the energy.

The repressed shivering was not only been due to the cold air of the morgue, but also due to the fact that the Dark Lord had been ignoring him; for Draco suspected that he was being kept waiting for a purpose and whatever that was, it could not be not good. His only solace lay in the hope that afterward he might be able to sleep.

When Draco and Snape had arrived they had both expected to speak to the Dark Lord immediately. Instead, they had received written instructions to start making Inferius potion for the next attack. Despite the late hour, they had started right away and had been working on the potions for more than twenty-four hours straight.

Draco would have much preferred preparing one giant batch of Inferius potion, but Snape had impatiently explained that each Inferius needed a slightly different potion in relation to the body chemistry of its corpse and that the balm that the potion would be turned into needed to be rubbed on the skin of each corpse before the spell was cast to create them. The Dark Lord had wanted more than two-hundred Inferi for his next attack, so although there were two other teams of Death Eaters also working to complete the task, it would take all the time they had. They'd taken only one short meal break, and Draco had spent most of it writing and sending a quick letter by owl post.

The whole experience was not only been very boring, potentially explosive, repetitive and wearying, it was also unpleasant. Snape was on a much loser, less patient and much angrier tether than he had been at Hogwarts.

The previous night, while they had been working on something like the thirty-fifth batch, Snape had added the last of the ingredients and Draco had begun to stir the batch clockwise. Each batch had to be stirred 666 times.

Suddenly Snape had turned from the bench at which he was preparing the Transylvanian Pickled Maggots that were the base for the potion and snarling: "No! That's not right." had backhanded Draco, knocking him viciously back and drawing blood.

As Draco had picked himself up off the floor and wiped the red smear from his lip, Snape had ranted:

"You stir it Counter-clockwise 666 times dimwit, not clockwise. All Dark Magic potions are stirred counter-clockwise during every odd boil Malfoy and that means the first boil too. What's the matter with you? Did Narcissa never teach you odd and even? Even Potter could've done that right!"

Draco had offered a mumbled, but angry apology and Snape had vanished the contents of the cauldron, but had continued to shout.

"We'll start over, Draco! Pay attention when I tell you what to do, and stop day dreaming about Pansy or..." he had then narrowed and focused his eyes at Draco concentrating: "I see Draco... I see your worried about your meeting with the Dark Lord...well you should be..."

Draco had faught with his occulamancy, trying to prior his eyes away and yelling: "Get out of my head, Snape!"

But Snape had held his gaze and raged at Draco, "The Dark Lord doesn't like failure Draco...you'd better prepare a good excuse for why you failed. You can't get by with Fang ate my homework this time. You're not in my class anymore, you're in the Dark Lords and you can't hide your mind from him if you can't hide it from me!"

With a gaso Draco had finally forced Snape out and they had resumed their project, but the intrusion had left him uneasy. Snape was right, there was no way he could block the Dark Lord out of his mind, especially in his state of exhaustion. He hadn't quite planned to lie to the Dark Lord exactly, but now he would have to tell him everything, including exactly why he had failed.

In a strict sense of course, the mission had been very much a resounding success, despite the loss of the two death eaters and the disappearance of Greyback. They had succeeded in removing the item that the Dark Lord wanted from Hogwarts and had killed Dumbledore. True, he Draco had not killed Dumbledore, Snape had. But what difference that had made, he couldn't tell. Surely, the Dark Lord might even praise him.

Despite the Dark Lords previous threats there was definitely no reason to punish him or to hurt his mother. The Dark Lord was known among his followers to be cruel, but fair. Draco knew that he needed faith.

Then as his acing shoulders moved through stir four hundred and twenty-four of batch number eighty-seven --a messenger, a new recruit; a frog-faced, gray haired, bow-legged, bulbous, foul-smelling, femine-thing caled named Beth Anne Bulstrode arrived to take his place at the cauldron.

A thankful Draco stumbled away. Sore beyond sore, hands so stiff and cramped that they had trouble unclenching from the stirring grip, exhausted, barely conscious.

Reading signs through bleary eyes and dreading the immediate future and Draco shuffled his feet and headed for the Muggle Medical Examiner's office that the Dark Lord' had appropriated.

* * *

**Harry Potter & ****The Choices of the Heart by Ydnas Odell****  
****AKA DA Jones**  
**  
****Chapter 6: A Slytherian Flower**

___QUOTE: __War is no strife t__o the dark house and the detested wife. _

_ATTRIBUTION: William Shakespeare (1564–1616), British dramatist, poet. Bertram, in All's Well That Ends Well, act 2, sc. 3, l. 291-2. _

Pansy Parkinson paced back and forth in the Slytherin common room, wand half drawn. She was alone, furious, frustrated and more than a little embarrassed. She had just returned from Dumbledore's funeral and should've been gathering her trunk and things from the dorm and preparing to leave them in the hall for the Hogwarts Express, but she needed time to think and try to calm herself down. She was a prefect and pureblood and she was determined that Draco wouldn't cause her to lose the place she deserved in society.

"I will curse him, this is entirely his fault!" she muttered furiously under her breath. That did not in the least satiate her desire to scream. If she knew where Draco was, she really would curse him. The killing curse would be best!

How could he do this to her, after all they had been through, all they had done together and planned together. If Draco loved her as he claimed he did, how could he do this? How could he snatch away their planned future like some golden snitch, ending it as abruptly as a Quidditch game? How could he have left her alone to face this disgrace!

How could her lovely, kind Draco be so cruel? She had liked him because he had seemed to care, had even sometimes initially resisted the usual Slytherin methods out of old, odd notions of fair play and pity. This kind, old-fashioned Draco was a secret of her heart; known only to her through the sighs of truth, passionate love encourages. To the outside world, to the mudbloods and even other Slytherins, Draco was hard and cruel. Only in her arms and her heart was he soft.

All this year he had seemed more detached. She had tried to get him to talk. She knew he had been given some sort of mission by his master but she had not been able to get him to discuss it. She had offered her assistance, but he had refused and said simply that it was not safe, that it was his task only and that it was best that she not know. Usually at the end of this conversation they would have a spat about her lack of commitment to the cause and later, enjoy the making up. Now however, with Draco gone, possibly never to return not only was her heart forever broken, but her reputation as an honorable pure-blood was in pieces. Who would marry her now, with all the rumors about her being a Death Eater about? She stifled a sob; the only honor left to her now was the honor of a Slytherin. She must not cry. She must stand proud!

During Dumbledore's unpleasant funeral and the meal that preceded it, she had been glared at by many from the other houses, as if she had been the one who had killed Dumbledore. Her own house had been in some ways worse. Half her remaining friends in Syltherin weren't talking to her; even Millicent Bulstrode who had no other friends was ignoring her. Crabbe and Goyle were pretending she didn't exist and Zabini had cast a combined exclusion charm and devil's horn hex on her, so that she couldn't approach within ten feet of him without setting off bleating alarms like screaming goats and causing devil's horns to spout from her forehead. Not that many of them minded that Dumbledore was dead. Most believed he was an obstacle to their goals, now removed, but there was such a thing as keeping up appearances and one did not celebrate the death of a Headmaster by a brutal Death Eater. Not if one wanted to stay out of Azkaban.

Everyone in the school and therefore everyone in the Wizarding World (it had even been in a recent Rita Skeeter column) knew she had been Draco's girlfriend, and therefore all assumed that she had known about his plans. Therefore, she must be a Death Eater.

The ministry had also assumed so, and Rufus and his goons had spent a whole day questioning her and had even attempted to use legilimency on her. The fact that she could block them, thanks to intensive training sessions with her parents and a highly paid, secretive tutor over the previous summer did not make the Aurors happy and only the intervention of the Headmistress had convinced them to leave her alone. She didn't know how long that would last and half expected to be hauled to Azkaban at any moment.

What did happen though was that she heard a distinctive screech and looked over to see Draco's huge Eagle owl flying out of the overhead passage that allowed direct access to the common room under the lake; it had barely fit though the ducts and looked exhausted by it exertions. Pansy fed it quickly, smoothed its wet, filthy and wrinkled feathers and removed and unrolled the message. She carefully studied the parchment.

Although the letter had been written hastily and with a standard of quill-work far below Draco's usually refined standards; she recognized the elegant and romantic style he used when writing to her; so unlike his direct and brisk manner of speaking. Draco had taken an awful chance by sending the owl. If the ministry had tracked it….. She began to read it; he had been especially elegant this time. It began:

_My Flower: __I'm safe - I can't say much more than that. Nor do I have much time. There may be rumors that I have killed Dumbledore. If so, know that this is not true! I had my chance, but could not do it. You once said that you loved my soul and could not bear to have it torn apart. That it was as much a part of you as your own. Love, we are still whole! Snape killed Dumbledore, not I! __I go now to be judged for my failure by my master, but know I go with a courage fortified by your love. You have faith in me to always do the right thing by our cause and our God. I understand more and more that these are not always the same thing. Trying times are coming soon for you too, my dear. __Just be safe! Please stay away from Potter and do soon what we discussed! We will be together again my love, but where and when I can't say. Please, just be safe! All my love! _  
**  
****DM & PP FOREVER**

He had drawn a heart around the initials. Her own heart soured! This proved that he was still alive or had been when he had sent the message.

But, what had happened when the master judged him! Pansy shuddered and paled. She pulled the gold necklace with the tiny cross she always wore out and held it tight. She needed a miracle and not the kind that Merlin could provide. She knelt quickly, crossed herself and sent a prayer to the heavens: "Please Lord, let the master be merciful! Let Draco be safe!" If the master was merciful, if the Lord protected Draco he would contact her again. She thought that if Draco had died she would know. He was too much a part of her for it to be otherwise. That must mean he was still alive.

She rose and thought back to the beginning of this year, from the time on the train and ever since. She had tried so hard to get him to open up during the year, to get him to let her into his plans and then that awful Potter had almost killed Draco with that Sectusempra curse. She had thought she had lost him then, the rumors had been awful. Moaning Myrtle had been all over the school, screaming that Draco had been murdered. She had believed it then and had almost ended up in the hospital wing herself, so distraught had she become.

She certainly thought Potter capable of murder. Wasn't he a Parseltongue? Wasn't he an insane half-blood bent on revenge for the death of his parents? She had seen his temper. Draco was much more kind. And he hadn't been able to murder! There were good qualities in Draco, there were none in Potter. None at all!

This is why she loved Draco and loathed Potter! She quickly burnt the message and sent the owl away, with no return missive. She couldn't risk contacting him. If Draco wanted to see her he would find a way.

She then went to her dorm gathered her trunk and owl cage, changed her clothes and returned to the common room. By the time that she was done the others had returned. A fourth-year girl handed her a new parchment. It was from Professor McGonagall. She read it:

_Ms. Parkinson: __Once you are ready, kindly meet with Aurors Tonks and Johnson on the 7th Floor opposite the portrait of Barnabas the Barmy. Some other students and former students should also be meeting with them. I assure you as Headmistress that this has nothing to do with the Ministry, but other matters of importance to the school. However, you may have some difficulty convincing the other students that you should be there, so I have asked your step-brother to meet you in the great hall. He may help with the situation. _

**Minerva McGonagall****  
****Acting Headmistress****  
****Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy **

Pansy rolled up this parchment. She was intrigued. Why would Professor McGonagall want her to meet the Aurors and students and former students at the spot where the Inquisitorial squad had caught Dumbledore's Army last year?

She felt it a very strange request but she did not hesitate. She hurried to deposit her possessions in the hall and meet her step-brother.

They did not greet each other, but scowled as usual and did not say a word. Together they climbed to the seventh floor and made for that ridiculous portrait. They were both after-all prefects and purebloods and it was not proper to defy a direct order from the Headmistress, no matter how much they both despised each other.


	3. Chapters 7 & 8

**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart****  
****By Ydnas Odell**

**Chapter 7: A Chance to Choose **  
_  
__QUOTE: "... War is for everyone, for children too.__  
__I wasn't going to tell you and I mustn't.__  
__The best way is to come uphill with me__  
__And have our fire and laugh and be afraid." _

_ATTRIBUTION: Robert Frost (1874–1963), U.S. poet. "The Bonfire." _

Harry hurried up to the Room of Requirement from McGonagall's office, Tonks and Angelina with him. As they neared the corner of the hall that lead to the portrait of Barnabes the Barmy he heard Dean shouting.

"STAND BACK!"

"NO!" shouted another familiar voice. Which Ravenclaw was that? It wasn't Michael Corner.

"If you don't stand back, we'll hex you too!"

"You will not hex my sister!"

"She helped kill Dumbledore!"

Harry ran around the corner and almost into the back of Pansy Parkinson before skidding to a stop! What was Pansy doing here?

He raised his wand, and looked around. There was a group of about twenty Dumbledore's Army members standing together near the portrait. Seamus was missing. Cho and Marietta were standing further down the hall, but nearest him with their backs turned stood Anthony Goldstein and Pansy Parkinson. Anthony stood protectively in front of Pansy, his wand raised and one arm holding Pansy back. Pansy was not cowering behind Anthony but attempting to get around him to get at the DA Dean, Ron, Hermione and the rest, except Cho and Marietta had their wands pointed directly at the pair.

"WANDS DOWN!" Tonks demanded and the DA half-lowered their wands.

"What is going on?" asked Angelina scowling especially at Fred, George and Lee; who were supposably adults. They had apparently not known she was an Auror's Apprentice and seemed shocked to see her in Auror's robes. Instead of answering, Dean continued the argument.

"Pansy's a Death Easter"

"My sister is not a Death Eater!"

"She's Draco's girlfriend, of course she's a Death Eater!"

"I'm not a Death Eater mudblood!" sneered Pansy and Dean raised his wand again. Ginny grabbed his arms and whispered something to him, keeping him from cursing Pansy.

Harry's green-eyed monster roared. He knew Dean still fancied Ginny and he wondered if Dean would ask her out again. Dean and Ginny had only broken up a month ago and they had been dating all year. Dean was kind to her and the kiss he and Ron had stumbled on had been passionate.

He had never discussed Dean with Ginny, but he knew she had not been using Dean in the same way Ron had used Lavender. There had been a genuine affection between them and Harry had wondered what effect the Felix Felis had on Ginny's break-up with Dean.

Would Ginny still be dating Dean if not for the Felix Felis? Harry could not imagine not having those three glorious weeks with Ginny, but it could have happened. An image of Dean and Ginny doing what Harry had done with her down by the lake popped into his head unbidden. What exactly had Ginny done with Dean? Was it more then they had done? He did not want to know!

Voldemort was forcing him to push her aside and there was no guarantee that Ginny would wait. After all, she had never yet told him that she loved him. They had never made it past "like", but he knew what he felt for Ginny and he knew she had fancied him since she was nine, but that did not mean they were meant to be together forever. She might still choose Dean. He had hurt her. He had never wanted to, but he had. Maybe she would change her mind.

Was it right for him to wish for Ginny's love? How could he wish that misery upon her?

No, it was better if she went back to Dean. He shouldn't feel jealous, if it was best for Ginny. He only wanted the best for her. Dean did not have to kill Voldemort. Dean would live through the war, Harry did not know if he would. Dean would make her happy. Dean could keep Ginny safe. Dean would love her, maybe did already. He would take care of her. Harry hated Dean.

While Harry was busy being jealous the argument had continued with Pansy shouting _"mudblood and blood-traitor" _at various members of the DA. Only Cho and Marietta seemed to avoid her wrath, but then they didn't have their wands pointed at Pansy.

Anthony was getting frustrated with Pansy and had even turned on her himself now. "Shut-up Pansy! You're not helping!" he screamed at her keeping his wand steadily pointed at most of the DA.

"You're not really my brother, Tony! I don't need your protection," retorted Pansy and crossed her arms. She turned her back on Anthony.

"You might be a Slytherin Pansy but you ARE my sister and I won't let them hurt you," said Anthony grabbing at her shoulder.

She slapped his hand away. "Just because your disgusting muggle loving father married my mother, doesn't mean you have an obligation to protect me, I can do that fine myself. Our parents aren't even married anymore." She wheeled on Anthony and drew her wand. Angelina quickly stepped between them and Tonks between Dean and the pair screaming "ENOUGH!" She had metamorphed her face into a very frightening visage. "Enough!" Tonks said again and instantly all the wands dropped, including Harry's. No one had even seemed to notice him yet.

Things went very quiet and then Angelina tried again: "What is going on?"

Dean was still very angry. "I'll tell you what happened. Pansy here walked right into the DA meeting. A Slytherin walks brazenly into the meeting and Anthony here with her, and he wouldn't let us hex her. A traitor is what he is...a traitor!"

"I told you Dean," said Anthony "she is supposed to be here". He pulled a parchment out of his robes and showed it to the group."

Hermione studied it. "He's right," she said. "She has orders from McGonagall to meet us here." She stared at it a bit longer. "It also says to meet her step-brother in the great hall." She looked at Anthony very seriously, "you're Pansy's step-brother?"

"Yes, although she bloody well never admits it. Ten years we lived together, even when we started Hogwarts we were still brother and sister and she acts as if I don't exist. She wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for me, and the bloody bitch won't even acknowledge it."

"I didn't ask for you help then, Anthony and I'm not asking for your help now!" again she turned her back on Anthony and crossed her arms. "I don't want to be here either... but when a Headmistress orders you."

Anthony looked away in disgust, as if he shouldn't have bothered. Harry was still trying to get over the fact that Anthony was Pansy's step-brother. Why hadn't Anthony mentioned he had a Slytherin for a sister? When he thought about it he hadn't spoken much to Anthony during the meetings and knew him least among the members, but had to admit to himself that if he were in Anthony's situation he wouldn't have admitted that Pansy was his step-sister either. Who would? Still it meant he would have to watch Anthony more closely.

When Harry bothered to pay attention again he saw that Terry Boot was about to ask Tonks a question. Terry was always one for good questions and this one went right to the point. "Why would McGonagall order that Pansy attend a DA meeting?"

Tonks glared over the group with a piercing look, "She is here under my and McGonagall's orders."

"So do you and McGonagall command the DA now? Are we MA now?"demanded Ron.

"No, Harry's still in command of the DA however this is not strictly speaking a DA meeting," said Tonks.

"It isn't?" asked Marietta. "Good, maybe you'll learn something useful this time then. But not me! I don't need this!" She turned to leave, but Cho stopped her and scowled at her friend. "Marietta, how can you say that, if it weren't for –

Marietta interrupted her. "It didn't help us then Cho. Did it? It still happened! All Harry's training and…."

Their argument drew the attention of the group for the first time. Hermione reacted immediately and snapped nastily "Oh, the true traitor is here!"

It achieved the desired effect, Marietta broke down instantly. The tears poured freely down her face and over her cheeks and nose. Her heavy makeup ran and the word "SNEAK" tattooed in ugly purple pustules was now plainly visible.

Cho hugged Marietta and as Michael Corner moved to her side said softly: "Marietta isn't a bad person, it's just that her Mother..."

"Worked for the floo office…so that excuses treachery, how?" challenged Hermione.

"It doesn't excuse it no… but the Ministry was against us then because no one believed that you- know-who was back. We all know he's back now and Marietta knows it in the most terrible way possible. Marietta's mother is dead! V-Voldemort's minions killed her!"

The crowd gasped partially because Cho had said Voldermort's name but mostly because few had heard about Marietta mother. Harry hadn't known and he could see from Hermione's eyes that she hadn't either. How had Hermionee missed it during her daily readings of the Prophet to see who had died? For that matter, why wasn't the death of the Deputy Floo Secretary front page news?

Cho explained what had happened. "I was there during the last break when the Death Eaters attacked. Marietta's mother used to floo everywhere; she had too for her job, but being the assistant to the head of the Floo Office she had the strongest protections on her hearth, yet somehow Voldemort's minions overcame them and a dozen Death Easters flooed right into the kitchen while we were making supper. We tried to fight. There were just too many. Mary told us to flee, to apparate. We didn't at first, but then they came after me, Marietta tried to grab me, but they had me trapped... if Michael hadn't …"

She struggled not to sob. Michael wrapped her in his arms, protectively. "You're so good to me Michael, "she murmured, "so good...if only…"

She looked up at the crowd, locked them all in the eyes one by one. When they returned her gaze the moisture was there as it always was but they couldn't ignore the determination in her bearing or the pride. All were fixated on her as she continued.

"This war was on a long time ago…I think only Harry knew it then though. Some of you may think I cry because I'm weak. But I cry because I'm strong! In many ways I'm a war widow. I was a war widow at fifteen, before most even knew there was a war. I lost a love at fifteen when I was just learning what it meant. When every dream seemed possible, every hue exquisite, every kiss divine. Cedric loved me and I him. I still believe it was true and forever. Voldemort took that away. If you wonder why I can say his name it is because I don't fear him. He can do nothing to me worse then he has done. Death is not worse than grief and if I die, I armor others. I do not cry because I'm weak, tears gather my strength. Grief is my weapon!"

Harry was as mesmerized as everyone else, but half-wanted to laugh. If her pain weren't real then he would have laughed at her melodrama. But Cho believed it, felt it. To her it was not melodrama but fact and he could see that those around him sensed it too, were moved by it even. Cho was a great orator. The sort that could rally the troops, the sort that could make heroes fall in love with her. Was she always like this? Had he never seen it, because he was too close? She was crying for real now and Michael hugged her as she reached her denouement.

"Marietta and I grieve now together, she for her mother and me for my love and we seek our satisfaction. Not sweet revenge for there is not such thing. No, what we seek is satisfaction; satisfaction in ending one kind and one source of pain. There is no nobler pursuit of a witch or a wizard. We will not stand aside; we will not allow our friends to suffer! We will stop it now! This is our fight, this is your fight and this is Harry's fight!"

There was silent but thunderous applause. Cho looked embarrassed. She had not meant to rally the troops. But that was what she had done. Fear and latent bickering had been replaced by determination to do whatever Harry asked, that is for everyone except Pansy. Cho's little speech had had no effect on her what-so-ever. She still smoldered and snickered, off by herself.

Harry did not know what to say after this. In fact he had not spoken since he had arrived in the hall outside the room of requirements. He had only observed, but now words were required. He tried his best, but knew he was no orator like Cho. But perhaps that was not what was required.

He said: "Cho you're not weak. If you came here you're strong. Some have graduated and have still come and some others never have to be at this school again." He acknowledged those this applied too. "You've finished Cho. You and Marietta could have boarded the train and been gone. ...No, you're not weak. No one here is weak. You wouldn't, couldn't have come in answer to Professor McGonagall's summons if you were. This summons may be a call to battle. You are all brave…more than I ….I have no choice, but all of you do! "

"The war is on, as Cho has said and it has been for a long-time. Many of our friends and relatives have died", he gave a sad nod to Marietta and Susan. "Many others may die. We have a meeting today to possibly help prevent a tragedy; we will discuss the details inside the room of requirements. But I want to apologize first. I have been wrong this year. We didn't have D.A. meetings because I thought there was no need. Dumbledore's death proved I was wrong. But I was wrong too, because I abandoned friends who wanted to help. So let's go have a meeting, and yes Cho and Marietta will be included. We need them, we need all trained who can hold a wand, and if Marietta is willing we will give her another chance."

He paused to look at Marietta. Despite what Cho had said, she did not speak for Marietta. She was after all her own person.

"Are you willing Marietta? This is no little thing I ask. It may be your life you are pledging?"

Marietta took a deep breath and seemed to take a long-time making her decision. "Yes, Harry I will fight with you. Don't think it's for you though. It is only for my mother and Cho, who stood by me when this happened and kept it quite as I asked. And who deserves a satisfaction of her own."

Harry nodded and also took a breath. He found it hard to believe that only a half- hour had passed since the end of the funeral. It felt like days and so much had changed already.

All of them were so young, in some cases really still children. However, they weren't playing games anymore and his army was no make-believe army. He realized he might loss some of these friends of his within a few hours and found his throat threaten to close. He would have to make sure they understood. That all of them understood what he was asking. He knew Ron and Hermoine and the three others from the battle at the department of mysteries understood, but he was not sure that the rest of the members did. This was real and always had been. Now he was about to get his other friends involved in a fight that they probably couldn't win. What was he doing? He should tell them all too run.

"What about Pansy?" asked Dean breaking Harry's thoughts. Yes, what about Pansy?

"McGonagall has ordered her to be included," said Hermione always a stickler for rules, although she looked as distasteful at the idea of including Pansy as Harry.

"I had no idea she'd be here," said Harry and glared at Tonks. "Why is she here Tonks?" "Why is a Slytherin here?"

"You'd do better to ask Harry, why two are here."

Ginny gasped. The first to comprehend what she meant; "You were a Slytherin, Tonks?"

"Yes, Ginny I'm a Slytherin! Sirius was the first Black in generations not to be a Slytherin. It shows how house-biased you are not to realize that I was a Slytherin. There are good Slytherins too Ginny, just as there are evil Gryffindors. Your House measures the type of personality you have. Your personality has little to do whether you are good or dark, as Dumbledore was fond of saying: _'your choices make you who you are'_. Pettigrew for instance chose the power of evil, while Sirius chose our side. It would have been easier on Sirius to choose to be like most of the other Blacks and be evil, but Sirius and I, we choose the hard path. Pansy is here Harry, because McGonagall and I are giving her a chance to choose. She can choose her own path. No one has chosen it for her".

"How generous!" sneered Pansy who had heard all this. And suppose I choose the side of the Dark Lord, you'll kill me on the spot won't you Nymphadora?"

"If I have too...now Harry will you open up the room please, we don't have the time to stand in this hall all day you know."

Harry stood still. He was not convinced on including Pansy. Tonks tried another argument. "Harry, Pansy is a prefect and it would be very hard to include prefects from the other houses and leave out Slytherin. The plan of defense probably wouldn't work, so we in this case have no choice, although Pansy certainly does. No, the issue is settled Harry, Pansy will be included in our plans." She turned to Pansy

"However much you don't like me Ms. Parkinson; however much you don't like Harry or his friends, when the time comes we expect you to do your duty as prefect. The Ministry of Magic expects it, Hogwarts expects it and our House expects it."

Pansy nodded. She would always do her prefect duties to the best of her ability. Not too would bring dishonor.

Harry was defeated. He really didn't think Pansy would choose their side and he expected her to turn traitor. But Tonks had a plan and Slytherin or no Slytherin he trusted Tonks. If she said that the plan couldn't be completed without Pansy than that was probably true. There was also what Dumbledore had said about how victory would need house unity. Perhaps this was a chance to get a Slytherin on their side. They had to take it.

"Ok, Pansy is in. At least for this plan," said Harry. "But I don't trust her. I'm not pairing her with anyone. She is going to have to stay with you, whatever your planning."

"Understood….now Harry…"

"Yes."

"Get us into the damn place please!"

The crowd parted and Harry turned and paced the wall three times thinking:

_We need a room in order to plan to defend the Hogwarts Express... we need a room in order to plan to defend the Hogwarts Express... we need a room in order to plan to defend the Hogwarts Express._

The door to the room of requirements appeared. Harry opened it and they all entered. He had expected the room they used for the D.A. meetings and if not that, then the storage room with the cathedral ceiling, but instead a third room appeared which was a bit of a combination of both.

The huge cathedral ceiling was there, but so were the fluffy cushions and a blackboard on the near wall. Instead of bookshelves or endless piles of junk the room was filled with weapons of all kinds. There was one rack of swords and another of daggers. Shields were piled one on upon another and against the wall were hundreds of spears and quarterstaffs. Axes, maces, flails and hammers had there own place. Long and short bows, arrows and quivers were also available. Some weapons were glowing in a rainbow of colors, some were bejeweled, and some covered with gold and some with silver, but most were plain. All were intact. There were no rusty swords or bloody axes as there had been in the storage room. All these weapons looked ready to use.

Luna took one look and ran over to the sword racks and excitedly withdrew a scimitar which was glowing purple. She held it up in front of her in a fighting stance and said: "Harry, do you know what this is?"

**

* * *

****Choices of the Heart by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones**

**Chapter 8: Tea, Dark Chocolate & The Dark Lord **

_QUOTATION: A "just war" is hospitable to every self-deception on the part of those waging it, none more than the certainty of virtue, under whose shelter every abomination can be committed with a clear conscience. __ATTRIBUTION: Alexander Cockburn (b. 1941), Anglo–Irish journalist. New Statesman and Society (London, Feb. 8, 1991)._

Draco Malfoy nervously approached the Medical Examiners office that the Dark Lord was using as his own. As he stumbled sleepily along he passed muggle employees of the morgue. The Death Eaters had cast Imperius over the entire staff in order to provide cover for the Dark Lord's plans. Most of them were assigned to continue their daily tasks in order that nothing looked suspicious. Only a few were assigned to help directly the Lord's plans.

He swung open the metal door and entered a lobby. There was a reception desk with a muggle thing called a computer and an attractive black women sitting behind it. There was a sloppy mound of paper and reports on her desk and a name plate said "Ms. Simmons".

"Hello Mr. Malfoy," she said and Draco startled a bit at being called Mr. Malfoy. He was entirely unused to that. "Mr. Voldemort will be with you in a few minutes…please take a seat." Draco did. "Would you like some tea?"

After all that bloody awful coffee earlier, he didn't think some pleasant tea would be a bad idea. "Yes please," he said.

It was not really necessary to use good manners around people who were under the control of the Imperius curse, but it helped calm his nerves. He sat for a good half hour and despite his anxiety, his extreme tiredness threatened to win out. He paced the lobby and he even cast a charm to keep his eyes from blinking afraid that if he let them close they wouldn't open. He could not fall asleep waiting for the Dark Lord.

For a long-time it was very quiet. He could not hear anything coming from behind his master's door and Ms. Simmons sat glassy eyed typing a memo. Suddenly he heard feminine screaming coming from the office. Between the thickness of the door and the addled state of his senses he could not tell who she was or what she was screaming, but the voice sounded very familiar.

Ms. Simmons looked up. "Mr. Voldemort's conference is apparently taking longer then he planned. Would you like more tea?"

He nodded and she refilled his cup. The shrieks continued. Apparently somebody was being subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. He hoped he was not next, but did not think it likely that he could avoid it. Finally after Draco had more than six cups of tea the screaming stopped. A little latter, a rat faced hunch-baked Death Eater Draco didn't know, left the Lords office, exited the lobby area, turned into the hall and shouted _Accio Gurney_. Draco heard a crash and a non-magical curse and then the Death Eater returned rubbing his side and pushed the gurney into the Lord's office.

After a few minutes the Death Eater exited with the body of a blond woman tightly wrapped in a sheet on the gurney. Draco didn't want to look closely at the body. He felt sure that he would know who she was if he looked. The slight rise of the body's chest told him that at least the person was still alive.

The Death Eater turned to Draco and sneered: "the Dark Lord says he will see you now, Draco."

Draco pushed open the office door. The Dark Lord stood as he entered. His red snake eyes glared and fixed on Draco and one reptilian hand extended for a shake. Draco returned the gesture and firmly grasped the clammy hand.

Voldemort sat down at the huge oaken desk that dominated the room. There were many filing cabinets around the walls, one of those muggle compu-thingys on the desk and on the shelves muggle medical journals and anatomy books. All the muggle pictures had broken glass and the flowers in the vases had wilted. A tray of sharp horrid looking instruments rested on a nearby stand. On the carpet there was fresh blood.

"Sit Draco!" said the Dark Lord and leaned back in the black cushy office chair behind his desk. Draco sat opposite in his considerably less comfortable chair.

"Interesting thing," said the Dark Lord pointing to the compu-thingy. "One of the muggles told me it is called a computer and showed me this interesting thing of theirs called the World Wide Web, have you heard of it Draco?"

Draco nodded. He had heard rumors that the muggles did something with 'electronic spiders.'

"Most of it is rubbish," the Dark Lord continued. "Most of it is disgusting or useless. You should see their ridiculous notions of magic, witches and wizards, dragon-slayers and demons. Muggles are hopeless. However, I have found some of their torture techniques interesting Draco, should we try them?"

"The Cruciatus Curse is more efficient my Lord," Draco cautiously ventured.

"True, true… said the Dark Lord rubbing his chin, but I think muggle techniques might be more fun … don't you?"

"Probably, master"

"Well we shall have to see," the Dark Lord paused and then said: "You want some cake Draco?"

He made a swishing motion with his wand and a large dark chocolate cake with dark chocolate icing appeared on the desk. Draco nodded and with another swish the Dark Lord cut a piece of the rich dark cake and floated it over to Draco with a muggle plastic fork and paper plate and napkin.

"Can't eat too much of it myself you know, it's much too rich but your Auntie Bellatrix had her house elves bake a cake to celebrate our victory and it is a shame to let it go to waste."

The Dark Lord cut a much smaller piece for himself and called Ms. Simmons in to have her bring in tea. "That muggle is useful; it's too bad that I shall have to kill her."

Draco waited to take a bite until the Dark Lord had. This was the only way he could be sure that it was not poisoned.

The Dark Lord chewed his cake thoughtfully, took a sip of his tea rather daintily and said "So, Draco how goes the Inferi project? "

"It goes well, my Lord. Another hour or two and we will be ready."

"All of them?"

"Yes. All my lord."

The Dark Lord actually smiled. "That is a little sooner then I had hoped. I expected to have fewer Inferi. Well, done Draco!"

"Well, it isn't only me, it is mostly Snape."

"Yes, but he has told me in the past that you are an excellent potion's student, even in some ways better then Potter and his mud-blood friend Granger."

Draco seethed. "Neither of them are even half the potion student I'm master. Snape told me Potter was cheating out of an old book of his."

"True... he was. But of course we planted that book for Potter to find."

"You did?"

"I always have plans within plans, Mr. Malfoy and you would be wise to learn to do the same. I have to say that sending the necklace to Dumbledore and the poisoned wine fiasco were both rather misconceived. Either could've easily lead to your capture.

He narrowed his red-eyes at Draco and bore unopposed into Draco's mind. In Draco's exhausted state there was no hope of protecting his memories, not that such a move would've been a good idea. Only a suicidal idiot would've attempted to block his mind from the Dark Lord. But still ashamed and terrified Draco cringed and shook as the Dark Lord forced him to remember.

_"They meet some of your guards. They're having a fight down below. They won't be long…. I came on ahead. I –I've got a job to do."_

_"Well, then, you must get on and do it, my dear boy."_

_"Draco you are not a killer."_

_"I'm not afraid!" "It's you who should be scared!"_

_"But why? I don't think you will kill me Draco. Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe."_

_"There is little time, one way or another, so let us discuss your options, Draco."_

_"I haven't got any options! I've got to do it! He'll kill me! He'll kill me whole family!"_

_"I can help you, Draco."_

_"No you can't. Nobody can. He told me to do it or he'll kill me. I've got no choice."_

_"We've got a problem, Snape, the boy doesn't seem able-"_

_"Severus...please...""Avada Kedavra!"_

The Dark Lord read everything and then strangely sat back quietly. "You're weak and cowardly Draco. I'm sure Lucius is proud."

Draco said nothing, to petrified to speak.

"You didn't kill Dumbledore Draco, Snape did."

Draco fought the urge to flee as the Dark Lord coldly drummed his fingers on his desk and then steepled his hands. "Of course I knew this Draco, but it doesn't change that fact that I'm deeply disappointed in you. I don't know who is more pathetic you or Wormtail."

He rose and pointed his wand at Draco. "You failed me Draco and I don't tolerate failure. CRUCIO!" Draco writhed in an unrelenting agony that he had not felt before.

"You know what your fatal flaw is Draco?"

He croaked out: "No, my Lord."

"You have a heart. We will have to see what we can do about that. I think we shall start with your little girlfriend Pansy Parkinson."

Draco was filled with panic, with anger, with hate. NOT PANSY! If Voldemort harmed Pansy!

"No!"

"Love blinds and binds us Draco, it makes us weak, it keeps us from doing what we must from fear of loss, and it's a great limiter. I've driven the last wisps of it from my life and filled myself with anger and hate. Anger and hate are power Draco. Rage erases fear. No murderer is ever a coward, Draco. There is no need for the wasteful supposed euphoria of love, when the ecstasy of shedding blood is so much more efficient…Greyback will bathe in your Pansy's blood.

"No!"

"Oh, yes…you see…I've given him permission to rape and devour her, he seems... eager."

"He won't touch her, I won't let him!" Draco lunged forward but was caught by a blast from the Dark Lords wand and flung contemptuously aside. Then the Dark Lord raised his wand again: "CRUCIO!"

Draco writhed and cried out again. The Dark Lord raised the curse and Draco lay on his back gasping for air while the Dark Lord strutted about.

"You wanted to kill me then Draco, despite the fact that you couldn't kill Dumbledore, despite the fact that you knew of the pain I could inflict. You still wanted to kill me. Because of your anger, you had no fear. Regulate your anger with your innate Malfoy reason and you could still be a captain by my side…What if I told you that the women who was screaming before was your mother. What if I told you that I had killed her."

Draco somehow was able to choke out a response: "LIAR! She is not dead, I saw her breathing!"

"Your quire right Draco, she's not dead. Only unconscious at the moment. I don't think I want to throw your mother away yet. She is quite useful for leverage with Bellatrix and Lucius, to make sure that they do my bidding. DO YOU HATE ME DRACO?" He advanced on Draco and cast Crucio again. Draco screamed

"NO! I don't hate you, My Lord!"

"Why not?

"Because whatever you do your cause is right. The world needs you if it is to survive and who can hate a savior no matter how cruel."

"You believe in my cause?"

"I believe the world needs to be saved!"

"Why?"

"Because the mudbloods and half-bloods are destroying it, sucking it dry and no matter how cruel, you're our only hope!"

"You realize of course Draco, that to live under me will be horrible for all involved. I don't intend on being a nice dictator."

"Yes, my Lord. But we have no choice and you will not live forever."

"And at that point, what Draco? Do you plan to take over?"

"No, my lord!"

"You will, if you didn't attempt it you wouldn't be a Malfoy. You might be a coward, but you're an ambitious and devious coward Draco. All the Malfoys are. It's in their blood. But you will have to wait a very long-time for that. You'll have to wait millennium indeed! You see Draco, I'll live forever, I've ensured it!"

"No, that's impossible!"

The Dark Lord sneered at him now. "Is it anymore impossible than rising from the dead?"

Draco opened and closed his mouth. "Make your enemy fearful Draco and you control them. Remember that!"

"Yes, my Lord."

"The ministry is terrified of me, Draco. The millennium is coming and it's not only the muggles who are scared. Magic is not supposed to be able to raise the dead, and yet here I am a complete mystery.

"It's driven some wizards to the wrong Lord. One of the Aurors has resigned to become a nun and on Sundays that holy joke of a Hufflepuff ghost the Fat Friar holds larger and larger services in Hogsmeade. Did you know Draco, that there even bleeding crucifixes and self-thumping Bibles for sale in Diagon Alley? Wizards who should believe in magic, but not miracles are now on their knees beseeching God, imagining that they'll find salvation with the false muggle deity, when they should realize that worshiping me, falling on their knees and pulling on the hem of my robes, begging before me is their only hope. I'm the only real Lord, Draco. The only immortal. All ye other gods are false…Grovel at my heels, Draco, like a pathetic praying wizard. Beg for your life."

Draco did it. Groveled on his hands and knees and pulled on the Dark Lords hem. Begged: "My Lord spare me, please!"

"You know, it's tempting...but the answers is no!" said the Dark Lord and with a swish of his robes turned and aimed his wand at Draco.

Draco tried to crawl away, to hide under the desk or anywhere. There was nowhere!

"AVADA KEDAVRA" Draco saw a green flash and heard a rushing roar.

NO! NO! NO! ...

Wait he was ok! Had the Dark Lord somehow missed, had he been given a reprieve of only seconds? No the Dark Lord had intentionally shot the spell over his head!

"Stand-up!" The Dark Lord lowered his wand.

"Draco, I'm giving you a second chance. I didn't really expect you to kill Dumbledore. And you retrieved the item I needed from the room of requirements. That part was actually well done and coward or not your brains and flair are too useful and as you know I don't waste resources!"

He then turned dismissively and Draco cowered and bowed at his feet, trying not to shake at his close call.

"Go get some sleep. It looks like you'll need it before we strike. Also, tell Snape to come and see me and ask Ms. Simmons to kindly bring me the file on the muggle Prime Minister. Will you, boy?"

"Yes, master." He exited, briefly commanded Ms. Simmons, went straight to Snape and then straight to an office sofa where he cried himself to sleep.

What could he do to protect his mother and Pansy? Was the Dark Lord really immortal? He felt hopeless. He missed Moaning Myrtle at least then he had company in his misery. He saw no way! When he finally did fall asleep he had horrifying dreams about the Dark Lord and very unpleasant ones about Potter and Pansy.

* * *

A/n Quotes from Half Blood Prince pgs. 585-596 Scholastic 2005

A/n How did you like this chapter? What is Draco going to do? Will he remain a Death Eater? How can he protect his mother and Pansy if at all? Does Voldemort gain weight if he eats too much chocolate cake? :-)

Let me know what you think. Even if you think this is atrocious, I don't mind bad reviews, because I can learn from them.


	4. Chapter 9

**Harry Potter & the Choices of the Heart**

**by DA Jones **

**Chapter 9: Wyrms & Weapons**

by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones

_QUOTE: War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can. __ATTRIBUTION: Winston Churchill -- a Postscript on a letter home during early training at Sandhurst, quoted by William Manchester The Last Lion Little, Brown 83 _

Luna stood in front of Harry, Dumbledore's Army, Tonks and Pansy holding a purple glowing scimitar in a fighting stance. Harry was speechless. This room was a bit more then he expected, but the room of requirements always seemed to exceed his expectations.

This version was filled with racks and stands of glowing and bejeweled swords, daggers, axes, pole-arms and quarterstaffs. There was even a shelf of quivers and bows. Only Luna seemed to have kept her wits. As soon as they had entered she had walked serenely over to a rack of swords and drawn out the scimitar.

Luna was now holding it out towards him. For the second time she said: "Harry, do you know what this is?"

"No, Luna."

"This is the scimitar of Ob," she said with an awe of reverence.

"The scimitar of Ob?" asked Lavender Brown sounding puzzled. She had not had as much direct experience with Luna as Harry. To Harry, what Luna had just said seemed to be one of her saner utterances.

"Yes, the scimitar of Ob," Luna replied.

There was silence for a moment as everyone took a collective breath and contemplated what Luna had said and the amazing room of weapons. Marietta was the first to speak.

"Loony, who is Ob?" she mocked. "What great fairy tale will you tell us now… Oh... I know Ob is the great and powerful lord of the Grabergoots or...no wait… I know …. he is the father of the flooberworms or maybe…. prince of the plimpys?"

Many of the DA, Cho included laughed. So did Pansy. Ginny glared fiercely at Marietta. She did not like people making fun of Luna.

"I don't have a fairy tale to tell, Marietta. There are no fairies involved."

Marietta scowled while the rest of the Ravenclaw's laughed. "Come on Luna," said Terry Boot. "You must have some loony tale to tell about the sword. You have a name and story for every chair in the common room. What is it that she says the arm chair is again, Anthony?"

"I think she called it a Velcro-raptor... and said it was a living combination of a muggle sticky fabric and enchanted dragon bones. She refused to sit in it for weeks. Said it was a meat eater. It really wasn't too funny. She had most of the first year's convinced," answered Anthony.

"No, that was the setae." Terry smiled at her. "Same thing though. Luna, you really are endearing."

Luna blushed slightly. "Yes, but there is no tale about the sword." She sheathed the scimitar.

"You don't have a tale? You're not dying are you Luna? You're well, right?" Terry feigned taking her hand and feeling her pulse and feeling her head for a fever.

"Ob was a troll." She shrugged. "Not too many interesting stories about trolls, are there? Unless you count Barnabes the Barmy and not even my father usually prints them."

"Ob was a troll? What would a Troll do with a scimitar?" asked Terry.

"Well, Ob mostly picked his nose with this one," Luna said sincerely placing the scimitar back on the rack. "Last year my father printed a strange but true piece on it."

Everyone but Marietta and Pansy laughed. Harry laughed especially uproariously. He couldn't help himself. He distinctly remembered troll snot as being very thick and gooey. A magical scimitar might be just what a troll needed.

By the time he had recovered Luna had wandered over to the Quarterstaffs and pulled out one deeply carved throughout its length with glittering runes. As she sweeped it both forward and back and imitated the orgasmic like scream of a fierce warrior, Harry heard it chime as if it were a music box. From a crouched fighting stance, she faked a cut and a spin and her skirts flared.

Harry caught a brief inadvertent glimpse of her knees and lower legs. They were beautiful, strong, sinewy, thin, long and tanned. So tan, that Luna must have been spending massive amounts of time at the lake. As she did a sort of hoping, skipping and twirling dance Harry instinctively followed her curves and only by a fierce application of willpower was he able to force his gaze away from her wildly gyrating bum.

He consciously focused on her face. Her deep silvery orbs and tiny nose offset well against her dirty blond hair and angler cheekbones. Despite the necklace of butterbeer caps and the radish earrings he felt his stomach flip.

He shook his head and looked away from Luna with difficulty. He silently scolded himself. It was Ok that on occasion he felt Luna attractive, wasn't it? After all, he knew that his heart was with Ginny.

As she continued to move and the chimes played, Harry noticed Neville, Justin and Terry also deeply admiring Luna's footwork.

"Luna," said Neville wide-eyed "that is perfect for you."

"Thank You Neville," said Luna slightly flushed "I really do think Quasley's Quicksilver Quarterstaff of Quiescence is my style."

At this Cho, Marietta and some of the other Raveclaws exchanged a brief startled look; but the rest of the DA had started investigating the weapons and the Ravenclaws didn't hesitate to join them. Soon the room rang with the sound of withdrawn swords, the clank of shields and pretend battle cries. Even Angelina, Fred and George partook in the excitement, while Tonks and Pansy stood waiting.

Harry wasn't interested. He could probably take a shield when the time came, but he knew that he already had a sword; the Sword of Gryffindor. He let his fellow students play for a moment with their new toys and then tried to get there attention by clearing his throat. When this didn't work, he thought of the whistle he had used during prior DA meetings and one appeared in his hand. He blew it.

The DA put their weapons away and gathered around in a semi-circle. Tonks stepped forward.

"I'll get right to the point," she said. "Voldemort has been more active lately and the Aurors and Aurorial apprentices (she indicated Angelina) have been pressed to the bone in order to try to stave him of. For the last few days he has been launching small scale attacks throughout muggle and wizarding Britain in order to draw us off and split us up. The small scale attack on Hogwarts that killed the Headmaster may have been part of that. We expect that he is planning something big."

"He's planning to attack Hogwarts, isn't he?" asked Dean. "That is why we are evacuating the school isn't it?"

"Well, with Dumbledore gone that is a strong possibility," said Tonks, "but the decision to evacuate was made by the professors along with the school's board of governors. There is little chance that most of your parents would have let you remain once word was out. As you know about a dozen students have already left including three D.A. members."

"I really wish Parvati's parents had let her stay," moaned Lavender. It is not the same without her. Even if there is school next year, what am I going to do?"

"Don't worry, Lavender. You won't be alone, I'll be there," said Hermione and then frowned. It seemed to Harry that she had forgotten the plans for the future they had made with Ron a little more then an hour ago down by the lake.

"No offense Hermione, but I don't intend to spend my entire 7th year in the library. All you find there are the pasty boys," Lavender joked. Most of the girls laughed.

"Hey!" said Terry slightly offended. "I'm there most of time."

"Terry, that just proves her point," deadpanned Luna.

Everyone laughed at that even Pansy, but as usual Luna laughed entirely too much. Harry smiled. Luna had scored a point. She had made fun of someone else for a change. Luna seemed to be at ease with Terry and come to think of it he had never heard him call her Loony. Maybe Luna did have friends in Ravenclaw. Maybe, she just didn't know it.

Tonks cleared her throat. "Let's get back on topic," said Tonks. "I know Cho made this grand speech about how you all need to fight for and with Harry. But this is not what we need today. Professor McGonagall, Angelina and I are asking for a simple thing. We are looking for some volunteer guards to provide extra-security in-case, and I stress in-case the train is attacked on the way home. It probably won't be. The whole idea is to avoid a fight. Harry's not forming an army... I'm glad you all seem to be so eager to fight Voldemort, but you don't need to do it now, you can wait until your graduate or you turn 17 and pass the N.E.W.T.S with Auror scores."

"No offense Tonks, but I don't think you-know-who will wait," said Neville. "I think we don't have a choice. We have to fight him now. I think we have to fight him now to have school next year, and I think we have to fight him now if we are going to live."

Lavender suddenly turned very pale and looked on the verge of shaking. "Neville, you don't think he knows about all of us do you?"

Neville looked pale himself and answered Lavender with a slight stutter. "I'm s-sorry, L-Lav but I think when we signed the list of D.A. members we signed ourselves onto you-know-who's execution list. It is like the wizards that surrounded King Arthur; the Knights of the Round Table and Merlin. When Modred attacked they gave their lives for Arthur and I think we have pledged our lives for Harry. We don't have a choice."

Lavender looked crestfallen. "But all I wanted was to learn to make a pretty Patronus, not to be a bloody knight of the roundtable!" she wailed. Dean Thomas offered her comfort and took her in his arms in a friendly way. "Lavender," he whispered to her "you know that is not true...You always knew what we were doing and why."

Did she? Lavender was not sure. Had she ever wanted any of this? She had never thought so. She was no hero. You-know-who was too much for her. She wanted a nice, safe and fair world; a world of justice. She had always thought of herself as the simple girl with simple goals. Everyone else in Gryffindor had wanted to be a Gryffindor it sometimes seemed, but not her.

She remembered begging the sorting hat to put her in Hufflepuff, but it had insisted on Gryffindor, had even made a prediction about her. What had the hat said again? She recalled:

_"Don't doubt yourself. You have the heart and soul of a lion, lass. Courage to face what can't be said. No Ambition though. So, not Slytherin._ _Not the sort to stand in front of a crowd. So, a badger true? You do love to contribute quietly so you'd be good in Hufflepuff. But is Gryffindor where you belong? Not full of ideas or dreams, so not Ravenclaw. Earthbound, so maybe Hufflepuff, as you'd like. Justice is important, so is it Hufflepuff? No, Gryffindor is best I think. For I sense in the future you will be needed in that house. I'm not a sage, lass, but Gryffindor is the house of heroes and hero's friends. You're a hero's friend. When needed you will take your place. In the deep darkness you will be a guide, Lavender. In the deep darkness you will guide the way to the light for a great hero. So it is: __**GRYFFINDOR!"**_

The hat had frightened her. She had no ambition, she did not want greatness, or even to be relied on by the great. Yet, the hat had said she had a place in the future. She had tried to deny it at first. Tried to pretend the hat had not made a prediction that she would be important. She was not important! But, then the darkness had come and she had tried to deny even then that you-know-who was back.

Why had it chosen Gryffindor for her? For whom was she fated to guide the way? At first she had thought it was Harry; this year for a time Ron. She had really thought it was Ron, the quiet hero too whom she was willing to give her heart.

But, she had always tried to run from this fate. That was the reason she was so interested in divination. The hat had made a prediction, she wanted to know how to avoid it, so she could be just an ordinary girl.

She had only joined the D.A. because Parvati had insisted and because, except for Seamus every other Gryffindor in Harry's year had joined when Hermione asked. She had not joined to battle you-know-who; she had joined to avoid being a social outcast. That was the simple truth. She was such a coward that she couldn't even resist joining an organization that should have resulted in her expulsion from school.

Harry frightened her more then the hat. There she had admitted it! She was afraid of the boy-who-lived. He was an ordinary person, who had survived so much he shouldn't. How many times had Professor Trelawney predicted his early death, yet he was still alive? How many dark ways was he supposed to die?

He hadn't though, had he? Maybe, there was such as thing as free will? Maybe not everything was fated? Maybe, she could get away and live her ordinary life?

No! Too much had happened for things just to be. If she were just a tool of fate, if she had no choice, then she had best get on with it. The hat's prophecy had said nothing about after: '_you will be a guide._' Maybe she could settle down have a nice normal quiet life afterwards. Maybe the prophecy would award her with some great love. Maybe, that is what the hat meant:_ "In the deep darkness, you will guide, Lavender. In the deep darkness you will guide the way to the light for a great hero." _

She had better get on with the guiding then, for otherwise they would never get started on their journey. Maybe, when they were done she could go home.

She stilled herself; summoning courage from every recess of her soul. She must do this! If even Neville had the courage, so must she. Sometimes there were things that just had to be done and Harry the great person that he was needed her; though obviously he was not the great hero of the hats prophecy.

As Lavender grew courageous in Dean's arms and gathered strength to commit herself to the cause; Harry looked intensely at Neville.

He spoke firmly and tried to sound authoritative. He wanted to make sure that they all understood his next point. "You have a choice Neville. You act as if you don't but you don't need to stay. You can run, hide of all of you! You can leave Britain and go far away. Go to China or Australia or America. Put distance between yourself and me. Voldemort won't waste time tracking you everywhere; it is only me he is interested in. Don't stay for me. I don't want any of you to risk yourself for me. Not Ron, not Hermione and not you Neville. I won't let any of you risk yourselves for me!"

He expected at least some of his friends to back down, to admit they weren't ready and couldn't and shouldn't help him. It did not happen. Lavender surprised even herself with the intensity of the commitment she now felt. Locking eyes with Harry while still in Deans embrace, with a surge of fire and pride she said "Neville won't run Harry. Neither will I. Gryffindors don't run!"

It was a powerful moment that set the room to silence, until Luna decided to add unexpectedly: "And Ravenclaws don't fly!" Then: "Well, we do … on brooms, especially Cho...but that is different."

The whole room guffawed. Cho blushed a bit at Luna's praise.

Harry was impressed with Lavender though. Perhaps, he did not know Lavender as well as he should. She was scared but wouldn't break. That stare, that solid uncompromising stare of a Lion erased his doubts. Now that she belatedly understood that this was real, that all this terror was legit, that they faced real danger she would stand with him. He was terrified for her. Muggles would say she had the hidden steel of a hero, but he knew from experience that heroes were fools. He was the biggest one in the room.

Harry addressed Lavender directly. He needed to try to temper here new found bravery with some Ravenclaw wisdom.

"Wise Gryffindors run Lavender, when they can't win. Our house is brave but not suicidal. If I could run Lavender, I would. I don't want this. .. I want this over. Ron and Hermione will never leave me, but if I could make them leave I would. The three of us are big enough fools. We don't need more, so if you can flee when this day is over do it. Don't stay. Dark days are coming and I don't know if there will ever be light again." He looked at Ginny longingly.

"Harry," said Dean while still holding Lavender. "I'm not going anywhere. Whatever you're planning to do to fight this man; this thing, this foul fiend from Hades who calls himself a Lord and his follower the beast named Snape who calls himself a Prince I'm with you on. I don't know if I'm the friend I should have been and I've let you down, I think...but I'm not going to let you do whatever you think you have to do alone. You're my mate, it is right, but more than that. If I didn't help you, what sort of Britain would I be?"

There was a chorus of agreement. Only Pansy stayed silent.

Tonks again cleared her throat. "Listen just so everyone is clear. We ARE NOT recruiting for the war against Voldemort (half the group winced) and I'm not asking you to risk your lives for Harry. We are only asking for guards for the trip home; which is a duty that hopefully you will not need to do. Understand?" The group nodded. "Ok than, do I have any volunteers?"

The entire D.A raised their hands. Pansy didn't. Tonks narrowed her eyes at her. "I'm sorry Pansy buy you're what is called a compulsory volunteer. You don't get a choice." Pansy glared back as if contemplating challenging Tonk's authority, but then reluctantly raised her hand. "Never thought I did!"

"Good that's settled. Now Angelina and I have worked out the preliminaries of a plan. We wish to discuss it with you. We are open to suggestions." Angelina walked forward and flicked her wand at the chalkboard and immediately the chalk began to write a diagram of the Hogwarts Express. As she spoke she pointed out certain aspects of the diagram with her wand.

"Now, you will notice that for this trip we have removed the prefect cars. However there are four additional cars. Normally the train is about eight cars long plus the caboose and the engine. Today there are twelve cars and no caboose. Normally students can choose their car, but on the trip back we will have assigned cars for each house and year where students may sit with their parents. Also Aurors and faculty members will be assigned to each car. There will be two D.A. members per car. Since this is somewhat undercover and Professor McGonagall doesn't want to alarm students or parents needlessly, we will make an attempt to assign you to the cars for your houses. Of course, this won't work out perfectly, so some will have to pretend to be in the wrong car, but that shouldn't be a major problem."

The chalk drew the following chart on the board:  
**  
****Organization of the Hogwarts Express **  
Car House Years

1 Hufflepuffs 7/2  
2 Hufflepuffs 6/4/1  
3 Hufflepuffs 5/3  
4 Gryffindors 6/2  
5 Gryffindors 7/4/1  
6 Gryffindors 5/3  
7. Ravenclaws 6/2  
8 Ravenclaws 7/4/1  
9 Ravenclaws 5/3  
10 Slytherins 6/2  
11 Slytherins 7/4/1  
12 Slytherins 5/3

"Now," continued Angelina "the first three cars closest to the engine are assigned to Hufflepuff, the next three to Gryffindor, the next three to Ravenclaw and the last three to Slytherin. That was McGonagall's idea. The Slytherin cars are last because if the Slytherins rebel during an attack we can always uncouple the last three cars. Now within each house the first car is assigned to the sixth and second years and the second car to the seventh, fourth and first years and the third car to the fifth and third years. You will notice a slight difference with the Hufflepuffs. The seventh year Hufflepuffs will be in the first car and the sixth years in the second. This will provide a little more protection to the car closest to the engine which the most vulnerable to attack."

"The DA is to be the last line of security, not the first. Our main job is to protect the students and others. If there is an attack your goal is to get the younger students and the muggle relatives away first. Faculty and Aurors will have primary responsibility for defending the train. Anyone have any questions or suggestions?"

"Yes," said Ron "I think as much as possible that we should assign the teams based on who we tended to train with. We are probably most familiar with that person and therefore less likely to make a mistake."

"Good idea," said Tonks.

Cho made another suggestion. "At least some seventh years should be assigned to some of the other cars in case they need to assist younger students and muggles escaping via side-along apparition?."

Tonks answered: "Good suggestion Cho, but, we thought of that already. The professor has discretely assigned a small number of 7th year students to the other cars in case that becomes necessary."

"What about Harry?" asked Colin Creevey. "If the death eaters attack they will go directly after him?"

"I can protect myself," said Harry. Ginny glared daggers at him. She had said that to him many times in reference to herself.

"Professor McGonagall will be in the same car as Harry and I've been assigned as his personal body-guard," said Angelina.

"Lucky Dog Harry!" exclaimed Fred. Angelina gave him a writhing look.

"I don't need that protection Angelina."

"You do Harry. And it is my job." She stated, smiling faintly at him.

He dropped the topic. It wasn't worth the time he'd waste arguing it.

Neville timidly raised his hand and Tonks called on him. "What about the weapons in this room?" Should we take any of them with us?"

The daggers and some of the smaller weapons might be useful," Tonks said "but remember Neville that this is supposed to be a bit undercover. It would be hard to explain bringing a sword onto the train. I doubt you'll need it, but as it is always good to be prepared and it's probably a good idea to take some of the smaller magical weapons with us."

Luna looked disappointed. Alone among the D.A. members she had not put away the weapon she had selected. She still held her rune covered quarterstaff.

"If we charm some of these swords to make them smaller, we could bring them," suggested Hermione.

"But why not just bring a dagger instead Hermione?" asked Susan Bones. "A dagger already is a small sword. Besides, I don't think even you Hermione have enough power to overcome the magical resistance of some of these swords and there is true power here. I'd really like to spend time here examining each of these, but we don't have the time."

"You're right Susan," agreed Hermione "daggers are more practical and the power here is immense. I'm really glad Harry found this version of the room. The contents really are worth studying further."

"I guess then that this room will just have to be next years' project if the school opens," said Susan with obvious relish.

Ravenclaw's might be the smart ones thought Harry, but Hufflepuffs were who you counted on when you wanted a hands on research project; especially when it came to weapons. According to Hermione most magical blacksmiths were Hufflepuffs.

They began to discuss who should be paired with whom and in which car. Several D.A. members volunteered to be paired with Harry, but Harry insisted on Neville. They were incredulous that he preferred Neville given his reputation for klutziness and explosions, but Harry said: "I trust Neville more then I trust anyone. He was beside me at the Department of Mysteries, he fought the Death Eaters when they attacked the school and he has saved my life."

Neville blushed. "You, don't want me with you Harry. I'm a coward!"

"No Neville," Harry said simply "You're not. You're the bravest person I know! Being brave is not about not being scared it is about the actions you take when you are scared. By that measure you're also who I trust the most in combat" He thumped Neville on the back and Neville beamed.

As they decided on the pairings (what Dean kept referring to as 'fire teams' a name he said he had heard in an old muggle war movie) Angelina's dancing chalk wrote them on the board. A new column was added to the previous chart so it now looked like this:

**  
****Battle Plan for Defense of the Hogwarts Express**

Car House Years Defenders

1 Hufflepuffs7/2 Fred & George Weasley  
2 Hufflepuffs 6/4/1 Katie Bell & Justin Fitch-Fletchley  
3 Hufflepuffs 5/3 Susan Bones & Lavender Brown  
4 Gryffindors 6/2 Ginny Weasley & Luna Lovegood  
5 Gryffindors 7/4/1 Harry Potter & Neville Longbottom & Angelina Johnson  
6 Gryffindors 5/3 Dean Thomas & Dennis & Colin Creevey  
7 Ravenclaws 6/2 Marietta Edgecomb & Cho Chang  
8 Ravenclaws 7/4/1 Ernie MacMillian & Michael Corner  
9 Ravenclaws 5/3 Terry Boot & Anthony Goldstein  
10 Slytherins 6/2 Ronald Weasley & Hermione Granger  
11 Slytherins 7/4/1 Tonks & Pansy Parkinson  
12 Slytherins 5/3 Lee Jordan & ?

Tonks assigned herself and Pansy to the seventh year Slytherin car as she felt it was most likely to be the seventh years that would rebel. Fred and George Weasley were assigned perhaps the most dangerous job as defenders of the first car. This was closest to the engine. The engine was likely to be attacked heavily as if it could be immobilized the Death Eaters would probably triumph.

Ron and Hermione had volunteered to take one of the Slytherin cars and were sure to have a rough go of it. Harry and Neville took the middle Gryffindor car and Ginny and Luna the one in front of them. Lee Jordan was assigned to the last car. Lee would have a difficult assignment as the last car was a Slytherin car. It was only when they tried to find a partner for Jordan that they realized Seamus Finnegan was missing. Or, rather that Harry became concerned about it as he had noticed that Seamus was missing before.

"Dean, where is Seamus?" asked Harry.

"He was having trouble escaping from his mom again," said Dean, "He is probably standing in the hall trying to figure out how to get in here."

Harry walked over to the door, yanked it open and sure enough found Seamus standing there looking confused. He smiled at Seamus and grabbed his arm, "Get in here Seamus," he said and yanked him into the room and slammed the door close.

Seamus just starred around at the room and said one word: "Wow!" He then set about profusely apologizing to Harry for being late. His mother had been harassing him about the parchment he had received and he had found it difficult to ditch her. His mother had wanted to pull Seamus out of school immediately after Dumbledore's death, but Seamus had managed to persuade her otherwise. Harry was concerned about Seamus; he was the only D.A. member that had not really been trained since he had only been able to attend that one meeting.

However, he was most concerned with Dennis Creevey. He would have preferred to keep Dennis out of the whole plan. (Colin agreed). He was the youngest member (Harry had still not had it explained to his satisfaction how Dennis had sneaked into the Hogsmead in the first place) and Harry felt he was not ready. But, he would be on the train and if there was any action being a Gryffindor he would be in it.

They made a change to the plan. Seamus was assigned to assist his best friend Dean with the defense of the third Gryffindor car and the Creevey brothers were assigned to assist Lee Jordan with the defense of the last car in the train.

"Anything else?" asked Tonks after the final line-up had passed a vote.

"Yes," said Katie Bell raising her hand. "Do, you think we might need our brooms?

"Yes, those of you that have them, make sure that they are not locked in your trunk. You may need them to escape," said Tonks.

Cho also raised her hand. "What about communications?"

"What do you mean, Cho?" asked Harry.

"We may need to communicate quickly and in-between cars in order to co-ordinate any battle we may get into. How do we do that?"

"Sonorous Charm?" suggested Lee Jordan.

"No, the Death Eaters would hear that too," said Cho. "We need to use something that they can't hear."

"Something like a walkie-talkie?" asked Dean.

"What's a walkie-talkie?" asked Ernie MacMillian.

"It is like a wizarding wireless radio that you can talk to each other on," replied Dean

"Fred, George is there anything in your shop that is like that?" asked Hermione.

"No," said George.

"But, give us a day and we could invent one," said Fred.

"No doubt," said Hermione. "But we don't have a day. Any other ideas?"

"We could summon Walkie-talkies," said Dean before adding: "Wait that won't work because the train is magic isn't it?"

Harry nodded and for a moment there was silence and then Ginny suggested: "How about Audiowyrms?"

"Audiowyrms?" asked Dean.

"It was something Luna told me about once. I thought it was just another mystical beast of hers, but I found a mention of them in the directions for a potion."

Harry looked at Hermione. Even she seemed to have never heard of audiowyrms. Tonks did not seem to know either.

Harry turned to Luna. She said: "Audiowyrms are a bit like flobberworms, but you place them in your ear."

The girls and even the some of the guys all said some version of Euh!" Even Tonks made a non-morphic face.

"My father has used them a few times to communicate with reporters on uncover investigations, but they're expensive. I don't know how we can get some on such short notice," said Luna.

"I do," said Harry. He closed his eyes and concentrated and told the room that he needed audiowyrms. A moment latter behind the group a large heavy fish tank appeared. It was filled to the top with disgusting gray wyrms. They looked a lot like inch worms.

Luna still caring her quarterstaff walked over to the tank. By way of example, she calmly picked up one of the disgusting things, feed it a bit of radish from one of her earrings, baby talked to it and then calmly pushed it into her ear. Neville was the next to insert a wyrm. The others followed. Even Lavender managed it with a great deal of squealing.

The Ravenclaws had the hardest time, but the Hufflepuffs just seemed to treat the wyrms in stride. Most of them were very capable with herbology and care of magical creatures and just seemed to treat the wyrms as another of the wizarding world's often disgusting if useful grubs. Pansy was the last to take a wyrm and although she managed it, she grimaced a great deal and glared especially hard at Tonks and Harry.

Once everyone including Tonks and Angelina had taken a wyrm, Harry asked: "Luna how do they work?"

"Harry, this is Luna, wyrm check…Over," Luna demonstrated. He could feel the wyrm squirming and vibrations from her voice echoed loudly in his head. Wyrm check? Oh, he understood. It was like a radio check in the muggle world.

"Luna, coming in loud and clear... Over," he said

"Harry, to start a conversation with someone you just need to say their first name and to end your part of your conversation and to let them talk, you say OVER, over."

He nodded, he thought he understood. He tried Neville first. "Neville, wyrm check… Over." Neville half jumped and a broad smile appeared on his face. "Harry, this is bloody cool...Over."

Soon everybody had figured out how to use the wyrms. Everybody thought they were interesting despite being disgusting. Also, there was the rather annoying side effect of constant twitching in your ear. Apparently the audiowyrms obtained some of their subsistence from ear wax.

They then went on to discuss battle plans and tactics with everyone contributing. They laid down very specific plans for the arrival at Kings Cross. Tonks moderated and Ron made several suggestions that were all enthusiastically adopted. Even Pansy contributed. Of course, it was with the snide remark: "since I want to live."

When they seemed to have covered all the obvious contingencies Tonks commanded their attention again. "Does anyone else have any other ideas or questions, because it is about time?"

When no one spoke Tonks turned to Harry. "Do you want to say anything else Harry?"

Harry stepped forward. He didn't really want to speak. He walked in front of the group. They looked at him expectantly. Twenty-five pairs of eyes focused on him. Even Pansy gave him her attention. He took a deep breathe.

--

a/n What I really need is a nice inline graphic for the charts, but I have no idea how to make one. Anyone want to volunteer. In fact that goes for any graphics or pictures for the story.

a/n Of course the audiowyrms were inspired by the Babblefish from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

I'm interested in what you think and your reviews help me to improve. This was a difficult chapter to write due not only to how much ground needed to be covered but also due to how difficult Luna is to write convincingly. Did I do her ok?

How did the section on Lavender come out? What do you think of the purple scimitar or the quarterstaff Luna is playing with? What about the audiowyrms?


	5. Chapters 10 & 10A & 11

**Chapter 10: Meanwhile At St. Mungo's **

**by Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones)**

Meanwhile sitting in the St. Mungo's waiting room Zacharias Smith was becoming concerned that he would never finish the paperwork. He had been there for at least two hours and poor Mindy had thrown up another ten times, eight of them bloody. The packet had fifty forms to fill out. So far he had finished thirty-four. Each oage was on a different topic and each one had to be filled in and filed in triplicate.

Magic helped, but not that much and a lot of the questions he had to ask Mindy about since they often pertained to her healing history. At least answering the questions was keeping her awake, which he supposed was a good thing.

Now he turned to page thirty-five: Medical Geneology. This he could fill-in fast. He knew a lot about his family's medical history; due to Mindy's illness they had often discussed it. His family was very vulnerable to flow induced illnesses. He started with his grandmother.

* * *

**Harry Potter And The Choices of the Heart – Chapter 10A Cho's Three Heroes ****  
****By Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones) **

_Quotation: Love is everything it's cracked up to be…It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for.__Attribution: Erica Jong, O Magazine, February 2004_

In the Room of Requirement Harry looked out at the assembled members of the D.A and Pansy. Tonks had called on him to give a speech, to say a few words before she sent them out to guard the express. He sighed. Why was so much on him? Why did history demand so much. He should have just had an ordinary life; he had no special abilities, no ambition. Neither did most of his friends. Some great person had once said that history was written by the victor and if he was destined to be part of it; then he was determined to see Hermione write: _Hogwarts: A History _

If he won, he knew that against his will he would be a hero of history and his friends only bit players, but he was keenly aware that death didn't focus on just the heroes. For every Leonides there were always three hundred Joes. Harry did not want a single Joe.

He sighed again. "I don't want you to do this," he told them. "I don't think even Professor McGonagall wants you to do this. I'd prefer you to be safe…all of you… even you Pansy…"

He looked at each in turn, saving Ginny for last. He looked at her for an especially long time. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

"As Tonks will tell you, as Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Luna and Neville well know… real battle is chaos. A famous muggle general once said that 'no plan survives contact with the enemy'. The only certain thing is that everything will go to hell. Despite what we've planned here, despite what we have learned together you can really only rely on yourself. But don't forget that we are a team, and that we can all lean on each other. Don't do anything stupid... be cool, stay calm, be creative and don't think you have to sacrifice yourself for others. We are a team, but we don't win if we don't all survive. I could not handle the loss of a single one of you. I'm not more important than you."

He saw some trying to object. "No I'm not!...Please, mates I'm not….You…You just need to somehow be brave, Cedric and Luna have proved that's not a quality exclusive to Gryffindors. And smart too and Hermione is proof that wits are not exclusive to Ravenclaws. And we must all stand together as if we were all loyal Hufflepuffs and above all: Remember Dumbledore, Remember Cedric; but don't leave us to remember you. Be damn careful."

He was not sure what effect he had. He didn't think that the speech he had made was exactly the rah-rah speech Tonks had in mind. Many of the group seemed to be on the verge of tears, however some looked more determined.

As the members of the D.A. turned to leave, each first studied the weapons in the room and took a magic dagger, dirk or similar small weapon. Harry saw Cho take a pair of Sais. Marietta and Michael were closely examining daggers. Marietta was studying an exceedingly sharp and obsidian black serrated S-blade that had a bone-white stone handle. Meanwhile, Ron was engrossed in last minute strategy discussions with Tonks, Seamus and Angelina.

Harry wandered over to Cho. "Can I talk to you, Cho?"

She tossed her hair and turned to him. "About what Harry?"

"Cho, Professor McGonagall told me that you plan to be an Auror."

She beamed at him. "I do, Harry. There is no greater need in the world right now. It's what Cedric would want me to do. It is what I want to do."

"PLEASE DON'T, CHO!"

"What! Why?" Cho was taken aback by the emotional force of his plea.

"It's not safe! Being an Auror is dangerous."

"Is anything safe in this world, Harry?"

"I want you to be safe."

Cho smiled at him and even gave him a quick hug. "I want you to be safe too, Harry!" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Ginny flash a deep angry red and turn and run out of the room. Hermione went after her.

"I'm glad you care Harry, I really do. But, I can take care of myself," Cho said echoing Ginny in a way that made him shiver.

Michael Corner overheard. "Don't worry Harry. Nobody is going to harm Cho. I won't let it." He leaned over her shoulder and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

"You don't understand, Cho! You're in more danger then you know."

"Harry!"

"Voldemort is after you!"

He's after all of us, Harry!"

"No….he thinks I care about you! He's going to use you as bait!"

"He's not going to do that. Everyone knows about you and Ginny."

"Ginny and I are finished. I- I broke up with her to protect her…I…"

Luna heard this, so did Pansy. Pansy snickered, but Luna who still held the quarterstaff even though Tonks had told her specifically to leave it; made a sound of shock and covered her gapping mouth with her hand. "You broke up with Ginny!" she shouted. "Harry Potter you're a fool!" She ran out of the room after Ginny; making sure to that as she left she "accidentally" whacked Pansy on the side of the head with the staff. A chime sounded and Pansy seemed to freeze and stood near the door in an odd way.

Cho took Harry's hand and looked up at him. "Harry, you can't protect the one you love. You can only stand by them... I should know," she said softly. "Harry, don't let Voldemort stand between you. Don't let his hate ruin your chance for happiness. That would be sad...sadder than... than...even Cedric." She turned away, the emotion too strong to enable her to hold his gaze and found Michael. "Harry," she added looking down. "Go to her...please... let her know how much you care."

Harry hurried out after Luna, to find Ginny. They needed to talk. He still needed to keep her safe, but he needed to see her badly.

As he left Cho whispered "Why does Harry always run from love?"

"For the same reason, you do Cho."

"Michael?"

"I've said it Cho. I Iove you! I do! I mean it with everything I have. Why can't you?"

"You know why," said Cho with a sigh. "I just need more time Michael ...I don't know if ...if I'm... over him."

"Harry or Cedric?"

Cho looked hurt. Michael apologized. "I'm sorry, Cho."

"Don't be dear...I've been...I've been unfair to both of you. Cedric took so much of my heart, and I cried so much of it out that I just didn't know what was left. Harry was a mistake. You are most definitely not." She kissed his lips lightly. "I thought he had the pieces I had lost. But you, Michael you have given me new pieces from your own heart, which is something Harry never could have done. His was heavy and as broken as mine. Yours is light and whole. It is what I needed. You've sweetness has almost replenished me. You have filled me with joy."

"So, you're a love vampire?"

Cho smiled and showed him her teeth. "Maybe?"

"Well, you're a beautiful vampire then."

"Thank You!" Cho smiled again at him, but there was something new about her, a worry that wasn't there before.

"Harry is right about you-know-who, isn't he, Cho?"

She made a non-committal sound. Michael looked at her carefully, hoping she would not confirm the terrible feeling that was building. "That night at Marietta's, the Death Eaters didn't come after Marietta's mother -did they? ...They came after you!"

"I don't know Michael. I was too busy defending myself... I don't know what they said or what they wanted. "

Michael knew she was lying. He had been there too. He had not understood what was happening then, as he was too frantic to save Cho and Marietta. But he knew now, Harry had made it all too clear. Cho was in terrible danger.

"I don't think Harry's right Michael. Maybe, he is just a bit paranoid. I don't blame him, do you?"

"Cho?"

"Michael it's not true. V-Voldemort can't possibly think he loves me. Everyone knows about Ginny!"

Michael felt his stomach turn into knots. Ginny was the first girl he ever cared about. If Cho hadn't been in his house, if she hadn't been so terribly needy... if she hadn't been Ravenclaw seeker or if he and Ginny hadn't had that silly fight..."

"Cho, Ginny's in danger isn't she?"

"We all are Michael." She was trailing her hand through his dark hair. He was so strong.

"Not as much as you and Ginny. If they touch a hair on your head Cho ...if they so much as breathe your way..."

Cho interrupted him with a hard kiss. That is just what Cedric would have said. Harry too. Why did she always have to fall for the heroic types? Why had she fallen for three heroes? Why couldn't she fall for someone like Neville? He might be a hero too, but at least he was a sensible one.

She pulled back, focused her heart and mind and put meaning into every phrase. "Michael" she said softly... "Please don't be a hero... I've had my fill of heroes." She wouldn't be left holding his body too.

"Dear, if being a hero is doing what is right you are going to have a hard time stopping me. You'll just have to put up with it."

She would. Oh, Merlin she would. She hugged him harder then ever and vowed never to let him go and she meant it.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Secrets Among Friends ****  
****by Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones)**  
_  
__QUOTATION: Fierce war and faithful love,__  
__And truth severe, by fairy fiction dressed. __ATTRIBUTION: Thomas Gray (1716–1771), British poet. The Bard, a Pindaric Ode (l. 2–3). Gray's English Poems; Original and Translated from the Norse and the Welsh Thomas Gray. D. C. Tovey, ed. (1922) Reprint Services. _

Harry ran from the room of requirements and down the stairs after Luna. He saw her skirts whip around a corner and heard her call ahead for Hermione and Ginny and he stopped. He was on the fifth floor and he looked over the railing.

Hermione and Ginny were sitting on the moving end of the third floor staircase and Ginny was quietly sobbing with her head in her hands. Hermione was sitting on her left and had an arm wrapped around her shoulder. He could see why they had not gone all the way down to the entrance hall, it was crowded and noisy and Ginny needed at least a little privacy.

Luna was momentarily trapped on the end of the fourth floor staircase; but she climbed onto the railing and sat on it with her legs dangling. Suddenly as the end of the third floor staircase passed below she pushed herself off with a "Wee!" and dropped like a stone.

Harry heard Ernie and Justin cry out her name from somewhere behind him, but with her Quarterstaff held out for balance she landed lightly with bent knees beside Hermione. Hermione turned to her in shock. "MERLIN, LUNA! ARE YOU INSANE? YOU COULD HAVE MISSED AND FALLEN ALL THE WAY!"

But Luna just adjusted her skirt and shrugged at Hermione. "I've wanted to do that since first year and who knows if we will ever be back. Unless your McGonagall you can only live once, Hermione."

"Which, is why I generally don't go leaping off the stairs like I was a flying trapeze artist, Luna!"

"What is a flying trapeze artist?"

"Never mind," said Hermione and looking her over saw that she still had the staff. "Put that away. Luna, Tonks said…."

"That we would draw attention to ourselves? Hermione, when don't I draw attention to myself?"

"But…"

"I'm Loony Lovegood, Hermione…if I'm caring a quarterstaff on the train; they'll think it is just another Loony thing."

"Luna…just because…"

"There is some mysterious power here, Hermione... it's not more powerful exactly... just different from anything else in that room." She held the Quarterstaff out and Hermione studied it intently. "It's like me, Hermione, different but powerful. As soon as I touched it, it knew my name."

Ginny looked up and in-between sobs choked: "Then its dangerous Luna!"

"I want to take it home… my father has some interesting books, that I think…Who knows maybe it will help me to find the snorkacks," she said dreamily spinning the quarterstaff.

"Luna, my father once told me: 'to never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain!' Come to think of it…that applies to Harry as well."

"He did dump you, then?" said Luna coming to sit on Ginny's other side.

Ginny nodded.

"Harry's a fool. I told him so." Luna sighed hugging her friend. "I thought he was a really sweet guy."

"No he is not a fool, Luna. He is doing this because he loves me."

Hermione sharply inhaled. "He said that?"

"He doesn't have to…it is in his eyes... but it's so hard. Maybe I'm wrong; maybe he was just trying to be kind...I saw him hug Cho."

Hermione shook her head. "No, Ginny...he's just trying to do the right thing."

"Do the right thing? He's going to go out to risk his neck, and he wants me to sit behind like the dutiful good little girlfriend and wait for him like a soldier's wife of old."

Suddenly Luna burst into tears. Harry had never seen Luna cry. But these were tears of joy.

"Oh, …it's so beautiful…so beautiful …he really loves you...if I could be loved like that…he was just worried about Cho, afraid that Voldemort might be after her because they dated. He was warning her, he's ever so kind…so worried about everyone…when he's the…he's a prince, you are so lucky, Ginny."

Ginny lowered her head, blinked back her own tears. "Lucky…Luna I'm in love with the number one target of Voldemort….I worry about Harry every single second of every single day. I only know that he's safe when he's in my arms. When I can protect him. He said he's afraid to lose me. Well, I'm afraid to lose him. I'll go spare. Do you understand that? He's everything. Harry says that Voldemort uses people that he is close too. He thinks he is putting me in danger by dating me. That he has to do things alone now. He's going away on some crazy journey and he's leaving me behind…and if he doesn't come back…."

"He'll come back Ginny," said Hermione softly.

The stairs reconnected and Harry started down towards the girls as Ginny looked up Hermione and saw something in her face. "You're going with him aren't you Hermione. You're going with him, you and my brother? The three of you are going after Voldemort alone aren't you?"

"I- I don't know what you are talking about."

"Hermione the three of you can't do it alone. I sort of understood what he told me. I understand he does not want me to get hurt, Hermione. I don't want him to get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want my brother hurt. But, I thought he didn't really mean he was going alone. I thought he would have help from the Order of the Phoenix, not just you two."

"Ginny, Ron and I ..."

"The Order of the Phoenix is still active?" interjected Luna

Hermione glared at Ginny. Ginny looked abashed at what she had just done. "Bloody hell!" said Hermione and turned to Luna.

"You know about the Order of the Phoenix? How can you know about the Order of the Phoenix, Luna?"

Harry was now there and startled them by saying: "Because Hermione in the past they apparently used the Quibbler to communicate. Still, Luna don't mention that again to anyone…you understand?"

"You're members of the order?"

"No, not yet," said Harry. "Luna I'll talk to you about this later ok. I really want to talk to you, but first I think I need to talk to Ginny alone."

"Harry," said Luna earnestly. "Ginny is right. You'll need more than just Ron and Hermione for help. If you're going after Voldemort take me with you."

"No."

"But…"

"It's not discussable Luna," he said firmly. "I'm no more likely to take you with me, than I'm to take Ginny. And you're not to tell anyone, not even the DA, not even Neville what we are doing, ok."

"Ok," said Luna in her dreamy voice, but it sounded extra poignant. "But be careful...and don't forget we're here to help, ever…"

Harry took a longing look at Ginny, and then at Luna. He didn't really want Luna to help, she was too young and innocent, and he wanted her safe. But still…"Luna, there might be something you can do…we'll talk latter, ok."

"Ok."

Harry reached down and grabbed the crock of Ginny's army and pulled her up.

"Come with me Gin please," he said.

As Ginny rose, the stairs connected again and Justin and Ernie and some other DA members brushed past. Justin stopped and gave Luna a long appraising look and then whispered something to her. She smiled and went off with him and Ernie. Hermione followed them down towards the hall.

Harry pulled Ginny into the first empty classroom he saw and then turned and silently cast _Colloportus_ and then _Silencio._ Ginny wouldn't meet his eyes. "Harry—" she began. He hugged her gently to shush her and she leaned her chin against his shoulder and sobbed quietly. He ran his fingers through her hair and held her.

"Ginny, dear don't be mad please. I don't want to hurt you. I don't want to leave your arms at all, but I don't have a choice. This is what my heart says I must do. You're the only other person who knows what Tom is like, Ginny. I don't want him to do what he did to you in the Chamber of Secrets again or worse. I don't want him to do that to anyone."

"Harry, I'm not a naive first year anymore. I can defend myself."

"You can't apparate, Ginny and that is dangerous."

"Neither can Ron, you're taking him."

"Ron almost can. I mean in an emergency I think he can do without an eyebrow."

It made Ginny smile a bit to recall how Ron had failed his apparition test because he had splinched a tiny bit of his eyebrow.

"Just, stay away Ginny... stay safe."

"You can't do this alone, Harry!"

"I won't be alone; Ron and Hermione will be with me."

"Are you an idiot Harry? The three of you can't just go out there and confront Tom. You can't win that fight without help. You'll need the Order of the Phoenix and the DA. You need at least me, Luna and Neville."

"No! You're staying at the burrow or Hogwarts if it opens."

"Harry, you'll die!" She broke into sobs.

"But you won't!" He hugged her tighter. "Ginny you're my beacon in this war. My hope. My joy. I won't take a chance on losing you.

"Harry…"

Ginny, dear look at me. Since my second year, we've both known this might happen; that I may have to go away…I don't want you to commit to me. I don't want you to set your heart to mine. I don't want to be Cedric to your Cho."

"It was committed to you the first time I saw you at platform 9 ¾ Harry…"

"Ginny, you were nine!"

"You had my heart then, Harry James Potter."

"Don't do that Ginny!"

"What Harry?"

"Don't try to make it sound like we're predestined. That we were always meant to be together, because it is not true."

"It's not true? Harry!" said Ginny hurt.

"Of course not, Gin. Love is what you make of it. I chose you. You chose me. Voldemort chose me." He sighed, sat down at the desk and pulled her into his lap.

"What do you mean, Voldemort chose you, Harry?"

He sighed again. "I wasn't going to tell you this, the less people who know the better, but I suppose you should know Ginny. I'm going to tell you it now. I just hope you can keep this secret better than the one you just told to Luna. The prophecy says that I'm the one who has got to finish off Voldemort. At least it says neither of us can live while the other survives."

Ginny did not look the least surprised. "I know that Harry. Ron told me. And well, I think I always knew. "

"Ron told you? I'll kill the prat!"

"He's my brother, Harry and he cares about me. He wanted to make sure I really understood what I was doing by getting involved with you. He was never worried about you being a gentleman Harry; which by the way you've overdone, but he was worried about... other things."

"Ginny...I-"

"What you said about the prophecy….it still didn't answer my question Harry. What did you mean by 'Voldemort chose me?"

"Ginny, you know how I'm only one day younger then Neville? Well both my parents and the Longbottoms defied Voldemort three times and that meant that the chosen one could have been me or Neville. Voldemort could have easily chosen Neville. Neville could have been the chosen one and not me. Don't tell Neville… I'm not sure how he will take it."

"If you had told him before the Department of Mysteries he would have fainted from fright, but now I don't know. He is getting very brave isn't he Harry?"

"He was always brave, he just didn't know it. But Ginny my point is when you make a choice things always turn out different. Voldemort could have chosen Neville, I could have chosen someone else and things would have turned out different, but my choice was you."

They were silent for a moment just relishing the feel of being in each others arms. He ran his hands through her hair again. "Ginny you are good friends with Neville aren't you?"

"Yes."

"You took him to the Yule ball your third year, didn't you?"

"Yes"

"Ginny, what if Neville were the chosen one, would you have fallen in love with him?"

"Harry –"

"Answer the question, Ginny. Would you have fallen in love with him?"

"I probably would have been as star struck with him as I was with you. I probably would have had a crush on him. I don't think I would have loved him. Because I don't love you Harry for being the chosen one. I love you for being you. I love you for being my friend. And I love you for saving me Harry. I just don't like being saved."

Harry smirked at her. "My independent girl, I don't want to rescue you anymore either."

They kissed very lightly and Harry pulled away. "I love you too much to risk you Ginny. If I had to choose between saving you and saving the world, I would pick you. Gin, you're the choice of my heart." He hugged her. "But, the world falls to darkness if I make that choice Gin, I can't do that. So, I'm asking you to stay away so I can save it Ginny. Not to hurt you."

"So, you're not being noble?"

"No, I'm trying to not to be selfish at the worst possible time imaginable." He sighed. We better go out to the train. I'll cede you some points though Ginny."

"What are those, Harry?"

"First, I'm going to ask Neville to come along. He is as much a part of this as I'm and second I'll make sure the D.A. knows something about what is going on. I'll have Hermione figure out a new way to contact them all."

"What about Luna?"

"I have another mission for her."

"And what is that?"

"She is going to be your guard."

"Harry you can't. She is my friend and nice and all. But you can't expect me to spend a whole summer with her. When (because she refused to say if) you defeat Voldemort. I'll be loony too."

Harry laughed. "I'd still love my looney Ginny...and if something does happen, she'll be a comfort Ginny... just like she was with me and Sirius. Also I want her safe too Ginny, I care about her. Why don't you spend the time and see if you can find her a boy. She doesn't deserve to be so lonely."

He hugged Ginny tightly and kissed her tenderly. "We can't do this anymore, Love."

"Oh Harry, please come back to me… Please come back… and bring back Ron and Hermione and Neville with you too. But come back!"

He knew that he shouldn't promise her, but he did.

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a/n -- If you would like to be informed of chapter updates the best way is to visit the yahoogroup listed under my author info.

a/n The stairs move. I know that is not canon, but It is one of the few touches I like from the movies. So I've included it. This is sort of a bridge chapter. But what do you think? Any guess about what special powers Luna's quarterstaff has? What are the consequences of Luna finding out about the Order of the Phoenix and Ginny knowing the prophecy? Is Harry wise to bring Neville along?

a/n I would appreciate reviews, whether good or critical, because I can learn from them.


	6. Chapters 12 through 14

**The Choices of the Heart by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones**

**Chapter 12: Ginny & the Grabergoots **

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Quote: "Love is like war; easy to begin but very hard to stop."

_Attribution: Henry Louis Mencken quotes (American humor Journalist and Critic of American life who influenced US fiction through the 1920s, 1880-1956)_

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Ginny gently pulled away from Harry breaking the latest passionate kiss. With sadness in her eyes she said: "Harry, we have to go."

Harry did not say a word and but just sat with her in his lap on the teacher's desk. He stared hard at the door to the classroom. At last after long moments he spoke in a resigned manner: "I don't want to leave this place, Ginny. . . If we go out that door everything changes. I've never been happier then now, but once we go out that door there is nothing but despair for us. I can't hold you again until the war is over. I might never hold you again."

"You will! You promised me."

"Gin," he sighed. "Voldemort may have something to say about that promise."

"It won't matter! Harry, Voldemort can't stand against love. Didn't Dumbledore tell you that?"

He teased her hair. "Hermione did too."

"Hermione is a smart girl."

"I know …she told you to just be yourself and that I would come around and she was right. I did. But, Gin you are smart too."

"Yes, but unlike Ron you don't love your girl for her brain."

"Ron doesn't like Hermione for her brain; he likes her for her bum."

Ginny laughed and playfully smacked him. "And what do you love me for?"

"That!"

"What?"

"Your laugh! I hope you never stop laughing, Gin. Hermione is a good and all but sometimes all she wants to do is talk about Voldemort. You and Ron, you talk about life. You always remember that first I'm Harry."

"Yes, Harry it is you that I love. Not the celebrity Harry, not the Rita Skeeter made-up Harry and not the 'chosen one'. But you Harry. The kind boy I met on platform 9 ¾ before I ever knew you were anybody."

"I'm not anybody; Gin. I'm just Harry. Only to Voldemort am I important. I'm a V.I.P.—'Voldemort Important Person."

"Well, you're also Ginny's Important Person."

"Well that too…and that is much more pleasant." He kissed her lightly again and ran his hand fully through her hair. "I love you for your hair too. It is so red it reminds me of life."

"It is going to go gray some day."

"Not for a long-time."

"Yes, but you'll be there….with all our grandchildren."

"Ginny, how many kids do you want?"

"Well, a lot, but not as many as my mother…I have my professional Quidditch career to consider." He laughed.

"Yes Ginny, but I'm the last of the Potters you know. I have to replenish the line."

"That should be fun work."

Harry turned deep purple. It was getting much harder to hold her on his lap.

"It's time to go, Gin." He gently stood her up and she adjusted her blouse and tied her hair back.

"Harry, when you come to Bill and Fleur's wedding….you had better find an excuse to get me alone. Because otherwise…" she reached up and pulled him down into to meet her eager lips. As their tongues danced daylight flooded Harry's mind and his gloom fled to a far corner and lay like a whimpering shadow. After a long while Harry broke away to kiss her long lovely neck and with something half-way between a moan and a whimper Ginny said his name and something else.

"Ginny!" Harry pulled back in shock. "That is really serious! I'm not sure I'm ready for that. I'm not sure we should…I mean it's only been three weeks and…I love you …but…."

She answered him with a low voice, half a sob and eyes full of passion and meaning. "Harry," she said "I'm not sure I'm ready either. But...but ...we have to make allowance for the fact that you may…may go away… and if that happens I don't want you to go without knowing how much I love you…"

"I know how much you love me…"

Ginny gave him a hard look. "No you don't….you have no idea…"

"Ginny….Gin….I don't want to think about that now. I mean...I'm trying too save the world here, I don't need thoughts of that nature, right now!"

"Think of them as motivation."

"Motivation?"

"Yes, motivation for getting your bum out that door. You see... you can't get there without leaving here. So, get going soldier!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the door. She was reluctant to leave herself, but she knew that sometimes you had to do what you had to do and the fact was there were more important things in the world than their love. Harry had a duty to the world and she had a duty to Harry to make sure he got it done. After that, there could be 'them'. But for now there was a world to save.

"Ginny, I don't think we…wait…Ginny," said Harry pulling her to a stop as they neared the door. He looked at her seriously. She had succeeded in turning his mind away from the pleasures of the moment and had focused him again on their mission; although it was the part of his mission that she despised. He insisted on keeping her safe. How she hated that word: 'safe'. It implied being locked up and put-away for her protection; as if she were a delicate but precious flower incapable of fighting back. She might be Harry's flower, but she was no Pansy. Harry's flower had thorns.

"Ginny, how do we make everyone aware that we... that we...that we have broken-up?"

Ginny smiled mischievously. "Don't worry Harry… I'll make sure that it is very public..." She pushed him against the door with both hands and engaged him in one last quick snog, then shoved him aside as if she were angry and flung open the door. She then ran off down the stairs.

"Ginny, wait…what do you mean?" he called after her. He then started down to the Entrance Hall himself. As Harry neared the bottom landing he was suddenly passed by a sprinting Ron and Seamus. Marietta followed with Cho and Michael brought up the rear. An out of breathe Cho grabbed his shoulder urgently.

"Harry, where is Luna? Have you seen Luna?"

"Why?"

"She has done something to Pansy," said Ron gravely. He had stopped on hearing Harry's voice behind him.

"The nutter killed her," said Marietta rapidly. Hermione's curse stood out boldly from her forehead as if carved there, the purple pustules contrasting sharply with her red sweaty face. Marietta clenched her jaw tightly and her pulse throbbed and there was a heavy trace of panic in her eyes. She starred at Harry as if almost begging him to believe her. "I saw Luna hit her with that staff of hers and now Pansy isn't moving or breathing."

Harry recalled that Luna had hit Pansy in the head with the Quarterstaff as she left the room of requirement in pursuit of Hermione and Ginny. Pansy did seem to be a bit stiff afterwards, but he had not stayed in the room as he had other business on his mind.

"She's not dead, Marietta!" Insisted Cho calmly…"Harry, I'd say she was petrified but it looks different and her aura is very weak to non-existent and is nowhere near the same as that of Penelope and Hermione when they were in the hospital wing with me after my second Quidditch accident. Of course, I was only a third year then, so I could be wrong."

"Cho, if Pansy is not petrified then she is dead!" screeched Marietta at her friend. Only the great confusion and clutter of the great hall kept anyone from noticing Marietta." She half-drew her wand and held it very tightly clenching and unclenching her hand. Red sparks started to sputter out of its end.

"Calm down Marietta!" said Michael trying to clutch her wand arm. "We don't know if that is true. I know Pansy is sort of your friend but you need to let us work through this. I don't think she is dead and I don't think Luna would kill anyone."

"Michael," said Marietta only slightly calmer "there are only two reasons for a revival spell to fail and Tonks tried it. If Pansy is not petrified than Luna is a murderer! And we have to catch her… before…"

"Marietta! Have some sense. Luna would not kill anyone unless a death eater was attacking her and Pansy was not attacking her."

"Then you believe her good girl floating in the clouds act too! Michael, I've told you since I first set eyes on Luna, that nothing good can come from her. Michael she is insane…You know what that means!"

Michael ignored Marietta and turned to Harry in exasperation. "Tonks is with Pansy," he said. "Angelina went to get Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall and Tonks told us to find Luna and bring her back to the Room of Requirement."

Harry felt that something about that whole Ravenclaw conversation had been a bit off, but if Pansy had been hurt the right thing to do was get help for her as soon as possible and if that meant that they needed to find Luna, then they would find Luna. But Marietta was surely wrong about Pansy. Cho didn't seem to believe her and neither did Harry. Luna may have hurt Pansy, but there was no way she would have killed her.

The hall had been emptying now for several minutes as students, parents and siblings exited the huge front doors and climbed into the carriages the thestrals pulled. Several carriages had already completed trips from the train and back and others were being boarded.

Harry spotted Ginny and Luna leaving and motioned for the others to follow. Luna with her staff climbed into a carriage with Ginny and Ernie. Justin Finch-Fletchley handed up her trunk and then climbed in after her. As the door closed Harry was startled to see Justin lean over and kiss Luna gently. Marietta let out a gasp.

Ginny certainly worked fast. He had asked her to help Luna find a boy, but unless Ginny had brewed a love potion in the last three minutes it hadn't been her. However, of all the boys in Hogwarts why had Luna picked Justin? Maybe it was odder to say, that of all the girls in Hogwarts why had Justin chosen Luna, but still he had never pictured Luna with Justin. He had been certain that Luna and Neville had been attracted to one another and that in time they would act on it. If Neville wasn't meant to be with Luna then he expected one of the Ravenclaw's like Terry Boot to finally see through her dottiness to the kind and beautiful person she was.

Despite her gasp Marietta was not distracted by what they had just seen. "After her!" she shouted and jumped into a carriage with Cho and Michael. Ron, Seamus and Harry caught the next one.

As the carriage headed toward the train and they had a quiet moment mostly to themselves, Ron caught his breath and attempted to apologize to Harry. "I'm sorry, Harry about before…but…how could you break-up with my sister at a funeral? Do you know how upset she was?"

This wasn't news to Seamus he had been in the common room when Harry had made his dramatic entrance.

"I know."

"Then how could you do that?"

Harry couldn't say what he wanted to say with Seamus in the carriage. He was a mate but wasn't privy to the sort of secrets Harry and Ron shared and Harry's relationship with Ron's sister was none of his business. Seamus seemed to know this and tried to ignore the conversation.

"It wasn't going to work-out Ron. Things are too complicated. Too many things are going on…too many dangerous things. I can't take the risk. I can't take the chance."

"That what? You might Love her and lose her? I've taken that risk with Hermione and Harry I might lose her." Ron's face went very pale as did Harry's; even Seamus looked slightly ill.

"Don't say that Ron, please. I don't want…"

Seamus could ignore their conversation any longer. He knew what this was about. This was about war and death. His two friends had faced it. He hadn't. Now he would, but oddly his two mates obviously were trying to deny the reality of something Seamus had instantly accepted the moment he had acknowledged that the Dark Lord was back and had joined the DA. No war could be fought without casualties and the Wizarding World was at War. When Dumbledore had died, he had known it was only a matter of time before the D.A was involved in the fight and if the DA were involved then he would be involved. It was simple. After all you couldn't just let some Death Eater walk into your school and kill your headmaster. There were consequences for such things. Of course, his mother knew his thoughts and knew what he planned to do. Oddly he found his mother more frightening then You-know-who or perhaps he should call the bastard by his real name: 'Voldemort'.

Harry and Ron needed to face-up to reality if the war was to be fought and won. Best to be blunt. He spoke: "People are going to die in this war Harry. It makes no sense to run from something you might never have the chance to experience again. If you love the lass, love her and let her love you. You don't know what will happen. You can't save everyone Harry and you best face-up to it. It is a fact. You can't have a war without death. You can't win your fight without losing some of us."

Harry's first response was a strong urge to tell Seamus that it wasn't his fight and to stay out of it as he had been trying to tell the entire DA for the last hour or so, but he had promised Ginny that he would let the D.A. help. Instead he looked directly at Seamus. "I'm Damn well going to try!"

"No one would expect otherwise Harry," said Seamus, "But remember if something does happen we all chose this. We wouldn't be Dumbledore's Army if we didn't fight for what he believed in. For what you believe in. Remember it was our choice to take these risks. I'm defying my mother for this and she's scarier then Voldermort. If I die mate, it is not your fault even though I know you will never believe that. But it is the truth." He clasped Harry's shoulder with one of his big callused hands.

Harry turned to Ron to change the subject although this one also wasn't any more pleasant. "Ron, you don't think Luna really killed Pansy do you?"

"No, it is odd what happened, but really we just need Luna to bring back the staff, so we can find out what happened and revive Pansy. Cho doesn't believe it either, Marietta is overreacting but then she really doesn't like Luna."

"Why?"

"Does she really need a reason? Half of Hogwarts thinks Luna is a crazy and the other half thinks she is just insane. Take your pick. But Marietta seems to really dislike her lately. Last week, I overheard Padma tell Parvati not to ask, as it was a deep Ravenclaw thing that she wasn't even sure how to explain, if she could."

"There are all these rumors about Ravenclaw secrets," said Seamus.

Ron laughed. "And there are all these supposed secrets about Gryffindor. Do you know any? Besides our passwords, I mean."

Harry muttered "the Slytherin's had secrets, Ron. Remember the Chamber."

Ron paled again for the second time within a minute, remembering the awful incident with his sister in second year.

The carriage pulled to a stop and the three boys piled out. Professors and Aurors were assisting students and parents with finding their assigned car. Luna and Ginny had climbed out of their carriage and Ernie had already headed off to his assignment. Justin helped them with the last of their luggage and lingered a moment with Luna.

While this was going on, Marietta had jumped out of her carriage and had sprinted toward Luna with Cho on her heels. Marietta seemed ready to hex Luna. Worse, Cho sensed that for once something grand was about to happen for her loony but kind housemate and her newly insane friend was about to ruin it. She had to stop her!

"Marietta!" she pleaded "please, give Luna a moment before you condemn her to Azkaban, will you?" She half-tackled Marietta. Straining to hold her back and ducking a punch she shouted at her "What is it with you, Marieta? You're acting highly irrational."

Marietta was wide eyed. She scratched at Cho and murmured "it's happening…its starting …must stop it." She tried to elbow Cho in the ribs and push her away. "No, it isn't Marietta! It's not logical" snapped Cho and tried to re-gain a grip on her friend by grabbing at the collar of her shirt. Marietta bit her fingers. "Ow!" said Cho and quickly withdrew her hand. "What are you a Troll?!" she exclaimed angrily and retaliated by shoving Marietta down hard.

Unfortunately Marietta grabbed her arm and pulled Cho after her and with a splash both girls landed in the mud. To Cho, this was a gross indignity. Ravenclaw's did not wrestle in the mud. Hufflepuffs did. Susan Bones was famous for it.

Even after being splashed by mud Luna and Justin did not notice the scene at their feet, but instead stared intently at each other. Meanwhile appreciative boys gathered to watch the Ravenclaw's wrestle and even Michael Corner looked on with a big silly grin and did nothing to help Cho. The Weasley twins wandered over and George wagered a sickle on Cho.

"I'll wager five on Ginny," said Fred.

"Ginny isn't in this fight," said George.

"No, but she is in that one," said Fred pointing to where Ginny had found Hermione who was floating her heavy trunk to the Slytherin car she was assigned too with Ron.

Ginny had started in at Hermione immediately and screeched at her loudly. "HOW COULD YOU! HOW COULD YOU HERMIONE! HARRY TOLD ME THE REAL REASON HE DUMPED ME, HERMIONE! HARRY TOLD ME ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?!

"What?!" exclaimed Hermione gobsmocked.

As her friend locked her in what muggles called a full nelson; Cho wondered whether Marietta was having a nervous breakdown. It would explain things; she hadn't been the same since her mother's death. In some ways she had been even worse then Cho after Cedric's death, although of course it was a different kind of love. Cho didn't t believe for a moment that Pansy was dead; it was just some magical accident that she felt sure they could reverse as soon as Tonks took a look at that Quarterstaff that Luna should have never taken out of the room.

As Marietta and Cho wrestled in the mud and Ginny screamed at Hermione; Luna looked up into Justin's eyes. He was standing very close. "That wasn't just a good luck kiss was it?" she asked.

Justin blushed furiously. "Didn't think so…" said Luna and pulled him down with both hands for a deep snog. "There, was that better?" she asked after they had parted.

"Luna!" said Justin stumbling back, sputtering and blushing and brushing off some of the mud that had accumulated on his clothes as the whole school seemingly watched him. Luna looked a bit embarrassed until Justin gained his composure and took her in a tight hug and kissed her back firmly. When they had pulled apart he said: "Be safe Luna. Write to me. I'll write to you."

Ginny closed in on Hermione with her fist raised and Luna sidestepped her and beamed at Justin. "No one ever writes to me...Well Ginny does once in a while…She'd write more but that owl of hers is old. But no boy has ever written to me. Well, Ron once, but that was only to say that Ginny was an absolute liar… but no other boys…I'll look forward to your letters, Justin."

Behind Luna, Ginny screamed at Hermione: "HOW COULD YOU BREAK BOTH MY HEART AND MY BROTHERS? HOW COULD YOU CHEAT ON RON WITH HARRY? I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!"

"WHAT?" said Hermione again dropping her trunk and backpedaling away from Ginny. She seemed completely confused; but then suddenly in one moment understanding dawned. Harry realized that Ginny must have activated her audiowyrm mentally or by muttering under her breathe and had used it to communicate her plan to Hermione.

Hermione began to play along. She screamed back at Ginny: "YOU WERE NEVER RIGHT FOR HIM! IT WAS ALWAYS GOING TO BE ME."

But unfortunately Ron, Fred and George didn't realize that Ginny and Hermione were acting. They turned towards Harry. "You didn't! Tell me you didn't!" Ron shouted.

Harry could not tell them that Ginny was acting. If he did it would ruin her whole plan. They needed to have a dramatic break-up. It was a slim chance but it was the only possible way that Ginny might be safe from Voldemort. This would transfer the danger to Hermione, but Hermione was already in grave danger and the extra risk did not matter.

Instead he told him loud enough for all to hear. "It is true Ron. Hermione and I are together. I'm sorry! It wasn't true when Rita Skeeter wrote it, but it is true now!"

Ron threw a punch that solidly connected and sent Harry soaring into a trunk, while at the same time Ginny's pulled fist only knocked her friend on her bum.

Harry thought groggily that Hermione and Ginny were going to have a hard time trying to explain the situation to Ron and the twins. Luckily they had the audiowyrms so no one else would overhear their conversation.

Hermione pulled herself to her feet. Harry went over and hugged her and gave her a light kiss on the lips. "Are you Ok, Love," he asked? He had to do his part to 'sell the relationship'.

Hermione mostly ignored him and glanced at Ron. Ron had turned his back on her and stalked away towards their assigned car. Their attempt to trick the school into thinking that she and Harry were involved had apparently worked on more than Ron and the twins. Lavender had also been fooled. Hermione was gratified to see her offer of comfort rebuffed loudly be Ron, with a: "GO AWAY, LAVENDER!"

While Ginny and Harry were acting their breakup in front of a crowd; Justin and Luna were starting their relationship in front of the same incredulous crowd. "I'm so sorry I never did this sooner Luna," said Justin. "I was afraid to ask you. All I could get myself to do was partner you during the DA meetings. It was my way of getting close to you. But we might never have school again and I wanted you to know, before--"

Luna nodded in an understanding way. "The Grabergoot's held your tongue."

"The Grabergoots are real? I thought that was something that Marietta made-up."

"No that sneak does not have any imagination. The Grabergoots are real! They hide on your tonsils and when you have something you really want to say to someone you care about they play tonsil hockey and grab your tongue so you can't say what you want to say and get all tongue tied."

"You are so cute Luna."

This was too much for Marietta. She ducked under Cho's arm, shoved her down and climbed over her back. She shrieked: "Luna's a murderer Justin! She's a death eater! She killed Pansy! She's going to kill us all!"

Luna turned away from Justin and towards Marietta, even her excited but serene demeanor was rattled by Marietta's sudden outburst. 'What is this non-sense?' she thought. All she had done was bop Pansy on the head with her new friend.

Justin thought Marietta was playing some insane joke. "You'll write to me from Azkaban, won't you Luna?"

"Every day," said Luna and turned back to Marietta. "What has happened to Pansy?" she asked calmly.

"You murdered her!" screamed Marietta and with a trembling hand leveled her wand directly at Luna's heart.

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**Choices of the Heart ****by Ydnas Odell Aka DA Jones **

**Chapter 13: Muddy Mad Marietta **

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_QUOTE: "Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtaxed."_

_ATTRIBUTION: Oliver Wendell Homes (American Physician, Poet, Writer, Humorist and Professor at Harvard 1809-1894)_

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Shaking off her wounds and bruises Cho climbed back to her feet and turned to face her pale and sweaty friend. Marietta's hand trembled as she struggled to focus her wand on Luna's heart. She licked her lips and croaked: "You killed Pansy! The prophecies are coming true!"

"Prophecies? What, prophecies?" asked Luna. Her face bore her patented serene expression, but her wide silver eyes gleamed with a faint glint of puzzlement. She did not move but stood staring at the mud covered duo as if they were a new species of mud plimpy or considering Luna a muddupa-lupa or some other fictitious creature.

Luna was off in her own land again and this was a bad time for snorkack season thought Cho. Or maybe, the imaginative blond was still dozing in the afterglow of newly realized feelings for Justin. Whatever reason Luna had for being away, Cho knew that if she didn't return soon it would be her last daydream. Marietta thought her a nightmare and in her twisted logic believed that if that the world was not safe if Luna was alive.

"R-Rowena Ravenclaw's p-prophecies," stuttered Marietta her wand hand twitching to the same stiletto as her voice. "But d-don't worry, Luna. I-I'll make sure they don't come true. I may not be a Gryffindor, but I can still do what is right."

"Killing is not right Marietta!" shouted Cho desperately at her friend. She fumbled at drawing her own wand. "Think Marietta! You know Luna. Luna is kind. Luna is decent. Luna is brave...Luna is not--"

"STAY OUT OF THIS CHO! You wouldn't help me before, so now I have to take care of this myself! Cedric once said you were a coward at heart! Now I know what he meant. You don't have the courage to help me do what is right."

"He said I was a coward at love, Marietta. Afraid to commit. Which was true, but this is different."

"No its not, Cho. You're a coward at love and a coward at duty."

"But I told Cedric I loved him."

"Have you told Michael?"

"No."

"See, you are a coward".

"But I told Cedric!"

"Yes you did. Too late! You're always too late Cho. Just like at the manor!" Marietta when angry had sometimes blamed Cho for her mother's death. She had always apologized in calmer moments but in a strict sense she was right. It was Cho who had cast her shield charm too late to save Mary.

Too late! It had been much too late. She had been too late for Mary and had almost been too late with Cedric. She had only told Cedric the night before the third task. The night before Voldemort killed him. But at least he had known. She was not going to be late to tell Michael and she was not going to give-up on Marietta. She would help her and tell him.

Dragging out the conversation had helped Cho circle in. Marietta now gave her a wary warning glance and then turned back to Luna. She flicked her wand a bit as if stretching. "Luna, the funny thing is that Cho is right. You are kind. If you knew the prophecies I wouldn't have to do this. Hmn, maybe I should tell you?"

Cho saw Luna's eyes flicker, her mind rising to reality, but much too slowly. Justin gripped her hand, and stepped forward as Marietta lowered her wand just a smidge, just a hair.

"If you knew, Luna," said Marietta "you wouldn't allow yourself to live, you'd off yourself, and I think that like Harry you won't risk the world for yourself. So kind, so noble, you're practically a parody of laughable heroics even. Dueling death eaters, I heard you blew up a Planet. Lovegood why you aren't in Gryffindor I'll never know. But maybe that's because you aren't so brave after all. Your heads in the cumulus so much I wonder sometimes if you believe reality is real. But life is not a fluffy daydream Luna, it's tangible, and brutal and much too short and even though it's easy to fantasize about being the heroes of our dreams, in reality most everyone's a coward. I'm a coward too Luna, I couldn't handle this. I tried to take the easy way out, back down from the responsibility Rowena gave me. I tried to kill myself, but Cho wouldn't let me. For once she was on time. But even if she's not timely Cho is still a good and loyal friend. I suppose she belongs in Hufflepuff. So she talked me out of it, so I stand here. Trying to do my duty. The only one who knows the terrible things that will happen, if I let you live."

Marietta let out a mad laugh and continued: "And its terrible Luna, believe me this prophecy is terrible indeed. I know it and I have the chance to stop it. A chance to save the world. And I have to take that chance, hero or not I need to do my duty for mage and muggle...but part of me wants to see if you'd do it yourself...or give you more time, to see if it's true. But I can't. Love is to powerful and it's not a power only of good. Eva Braun loved Hitler with all her heart and that did not save the muggle Jews. Grindelwald loved and it did not save the muggles he tortured. You care for Justin; I can see it in your eyes. And it's not one of your fantasies. You love him or you soon will and he certainly loves you already. So I can't take the chance, can't risk the power of love. Can't risk the awful outcome, even for peace-of-mind...I'm sorry Luna, I can't risk mercy... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry Luna…so very sorry….but sometimes what is awful is still right!" She drew a deep breathe and finally managed to steady her wand.

"My only problem is that I can't hate you, Luna. Can't inflict pain. You're kind, even to me. I can't hate you, not truly. In some ways you are too like me. So that rules out an unforgivable."

A mad sadness mixed with fear and determination passed over Marietta's eyes as she began a strange incantation that Cho had never heard. But, Cho knew that regardless of what spell it Marietta cast the outcome wouldn't be harmless. So reacting instinctively and with a scream of: "No!" she recklessly threw her still bleeding hand over Marietta's mouth and tackled her back down into the mud

As they fell, Marietta accidentally chomped off Cho's already damaged pinky and spit it back into her face with a "Sorry, Cho!". She then twisted away from Cho's shocked grasp, climbed to her feet and aimed hastily. But Cho recovered almost instantly and with an adrenaline fueled rush drove her shoulder into her friends back; but she was too late to too prevent Marietta's scream of: "**CORPUS MORTICUS!**"

But Cho's thrust had been enough to throw Marietta off balance, so instead of hitting Luna the yellow curse roared off wildly into the blue and struck a swan from the lake that had been passing by. With a thick splash its body fell into the mud narrowly missing Romilda Vane but splattering her new fancy yellow sun dress with glop and goo; as its 'ghost' continued away as if it were a Patronus. The strange curse sounded to Cho exactly like a killing curse and except for its color looked like one.

For a moment, for the few brief moments before Justin tired to intervene Cho fought alone; the bystanders that circled them were either too stunned to react to the attempted murder in their midst, too distracted by Romilda's inarticulate screams about her ruined dress or as in the case of Harry and Michael too interested in the minutiae of watching Cho and Marietta mud-wrestle.

During those moments Cho was filled with despair. She now knew that her desperate attempts to save Marietta had failed. Ever since Cho had returned from their disastrous break with the now orphaned Marietta, Cho had spent nearly every moment of every day with her best friend. She was determined to help her heal and to help her keep her sanity.

During their battle at Edgecombe Manor Marietta had been struck with at least three Cruciatus curses in rapid succession. Madam Pomfrey had wanted Marietta to go to St. Mungo's for more intensive treatment, but Marietta refused and Professor Flitwick who was not only the head of Ravenclaw house, but as her Great-Uncle was now Marietta's closest living relative had overruled Pomfrey.

Marietta had wanted to stay at Hogwarts because with both her parents dead it was the closest thing she had to a home and she had nowhere else to go even if she did heal completely.

The cruciatus curses had been hard on Marietta both physically and mentally but what had been harder still was Marietta's realization that there was absolutely nothing that she could have done for her mother and that she was now alone in the world. The last impression Cho had done all she could to counter, but there always seemed to be a deep dark shadow of gloom over Marietta's heart that no smile or joke of Cho or Michael could ever hope to penetrate.

Marietta had done all she could after Cedric's death to help Cho and it was only right for her to return the favor. Other than Michael; Marietta was her only true friend. Too many others only liked her for her looks or her brains or on good days her Quidditch skills. But Marietta loved her for who she really was. Only Marietta knew her true secrets and desires and only Cho knew Marietta's.

Too many of her supposed friends had fled from her after Cedric's death unwilling to face her unrelenting grief. Not wanting to be reminded of how good a person Cedric was and how random and seemingly useless his death had been; they had scattered on the mere rumor of her approach. Most had chosen the easy option and believed the ministry propaganda. They refused to believe the Dark Lord was back and some, mostly the Slytherians believed that Harry had killed Cedric. They ran from their fears as they ran from Cho. They could not and did not face the fact that at any moment the Dark Lord or one of his minions could spring up and take them from this world without a thought.

The majority of Dumbledore's Army had believed Harry and that was one of the reasons Cho had felt at home with them. She had not just joined the DA because of Harry or because of Cedric or because of Umbridge; she had joined it because as she told Marietta deep down 'she had known it was right!'

They had argued over this. Marietta had not believed the DA was right. She had never said it, but Cho had often wondered if Marietta had believed the ministry line that Harry had killed Cedric.

But the bottom line was that of all her supposed friends only Marietta had enough courage and love to try to help her. Only Marietta (and once Luna) had held her close while she sobbed, only Marietta had told her that Cedric would want her to move on, only Marietta and had gone against her better judgment to encourage her to pursue her budding affection for Harry. And only Marietta for a while at least was willing to risk expulsion for her; all to help her heal.

Since they had returned from the disastrous break, Cho had rarely left Marietta's side. She had quietly talked Marietta down from the belfry of Ravenclaw tower and she had discreetly taken Marietta to visit Madam Pomfrey and she had made sure that her friend took the psychiatric potions prescribed every night.

Even when she had been with Michael she had worried about Marietta, always afraid of what she might do to herself or others. Especially afraid of what she might do to Luna, because Marietta had a theory about Luna. A very frightening theory, a very well researched theory and a theory that Cho refused to believe even though she had helped to develop it. It was frightening and not only was it completely sane but it was also very likely to be true.

Cho fought to pry away Marietta's wand away and cried out desperately to Michael for help. She knew that if she did not get help soon Marietta would win and if Marietta won Luna would die. Marietta was bigger and stronger than Cho and as she had already proven her insanity made her vicious.

In her frustration Cho called out a few of the muggle Mandarin curses her mother had taught her. Most translated to a long string of B and F words but one milder one: "_Ai ya!_" translated as 'Damn!' _'This is my fault! My entire fucking fault!' _she thought. If she hadn't--well she couldn't worry about it now, could she? She tensed and summoning all her physical strength succeeded in pulling Marietta back down into the filthy mud. She had to stop Marietta! If Michael would just cease gawking and help!

"Michael, help me!" she screamed as her useless boyfriend continued gawking like all the other clueless males. She swore in Mandarin again: "_Shen Jing Bing_!" as she heard Michael yell: "Go Cho!" as if this were a Quidditch game and Marietta a harmless snitch.

Somehow despite the flying curses, Cho's missing pinky and the fallen swan he did not seem to understand that Cho was in the midst of a desperate battle to save one housemates life and the last threads of another's sanity. Instead he thought she was trying to entertain him. _'Shen Jing Bing_' translated as 'lunatic'. Although at the moment the curse seemed to apply mostly to Marietta; she felt she could make a strong case for Michael.

She shouted at him again. "Michael, Marietta has lost it! This is not a game. Michael she's going to kill Luna! MICHAEL, MURDER IS NOT A SPECTATOR SPORT!"

Marietta kicked free and hopped out of the way as Cho dove for her ankles. Justin then moved to shield Luna and went for his wand but Marietta drew first and shouting "**IMPEDIMENTA!"** froze him in place. He couldn't move and Cho's newly and wholly insane friend had a clear and unhindered shot at Luna.

Marietta started to shout the 'ghosting' curse again: "**CORPUS MOR**—"but then her jaw slammed shut hard and her whole body went rigid, her legs and feet snapped together and she swayed for a moment before toppling over and planting her face into the ground. With an audible snap Marietta's nose broke and blood gushed.

Michael had finally acted. Beating Marietta to the draw he had pointed his wand and shouted: "**PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!**". Marietta was now paralyzed and unable to cast a spell.

Cho made doubly sure by shouting: "**EXPELLIARMUS!**" and Marietta's wand flew out of her glassy-eyed grasp and into Cho's uninjured hand. Cho knew it had been a mistake not to use the disarming spell earlier. Had she forgotten all Harry had taught her? Her lapse of judgment was unforgivable and could have cost Luna's her life.

Michael though he had almost waited too long; had saved Luna. But it had been entirely too close. Michael was infuriating. Why had he done nothing but gawk before? Why had he waited so long? Some hero he was. He had just proven to Cho how immature he could be. It was not endearing.

Meanwhile, Michael felt satisfied. He had done the right thing, right? What exactly was that incantation: '_Corpus Morticus'_? Was that a death spell? It looked and sounded way to much like a death spell. It looked like it was a spell to split the soul from the body and create a ghost; but maybe it was not permanent. No, it sounded way to much like a death spell. Had Marietta intended to kill Luna? How was that possible? Why would Marietta kill Luna? Had she become the lunatic Cho feared? How could there be a death spell that was not an unforgivable? And why did Cho look so peeved at him?

She stood bent over, with her hands on her knees and a massive scowl on her face. She was hurt, her wand hand was bleeding and Merlin her right pinky was missing. Michael went to her. "Cho?"

She was trying hard to catch her breathe. For the moment she was covered and splattered in mud and a little blood from head to toe, but she looked especially beautiful. Her dirt and blood covered shorts and T-shirt gave her a rugged very un-Ravenclaw like appearance that Michael thought it was a good look for her, but then he thought every look was a good look for her. The mud really set off her almond eyes and her wet T-shirt showed off her other rather tremendous assets very well…but she was hurt and he could tell not all of it was physical. He hugged her briefly.

"Cho are you alright?"

"No. Michael! I'm not alright! That BITCH was trying to kill Luna! And she bit off my bloody pinky Michael! She bit off my bloody pinky!" She winced in pain and showed him her hand. "And what did you do? You just stood there watching your girlfriend get the shit kicked out of her by her murderous best friend. Some git of a hero you are."

"Cho?!" He said and took her injured hand in his and stopped the bleeding with a simple healing spell. There was so much meaning in how he said her name and the care he took in healing her. She looked into his eyes and saw such concern, worry and sorrow and in the end he did come to her aid after all. She forgave him and realized all at once that for the first time since Cedric she was truly falling in love. No, she was in love. She loved him.

"Michael….I….I…" but just then Justin and Luna came over with their wands drawn. Harry, Hermione and Seamus were just behind.

"I thought you might want this Cho," said Justin grimacing as he handed Cho her severed pinky. It was beyond grotty. Luna had cast a freezing charm on it. It would keep for a time but would have to be re-attached by Madam Pomfrey. Cho stuck it in a pocket of her shorts.

Michael shook his head to try to clear his thoughts and concentrate on what had just happened. "Something is very wrong with Marietta," he said to Harry. "As soon as we realized what had happened to Pansy, Marietta became completely irrational. I just didn't realize right away how irrational. But Cho did! Thank, Merlin! Marietta hasn't been herself, since…well since her mother died. I had to cast the full-body bind on her Harry…What was that spell she was trying to use anyway, Harry. I've never heard of it?"

Harry hadn't either, he just hoped it wasn't the type of spell he thought it was; so instead he just nodded. He noted that Michael had the same expression Hermione did after casting the same hex on Neville their first year. He obviously considered Marietta a friend and had not wanted to hex her.

However, the fact was that Marietta had attacked Luna had left Michael with no choice. He probably had just saved Luna's life and for that Harry was grateful. Harry knew he would have never forgiven himself if Luna had been killed. He hadn't been paying attention and that was inexcusable.

He had to be at his best and alert all the time because in a wizard war; especially this one, anything could happen to anyone at anytime anywhere. It was no excuse that he had Ginny and Voldemort to think about; as he had to be always aware. He had to make Mad-Eye's Moody's refrain of 'Constant Vigilance' his life now or his friends would forever suffer the consequences.

Not only had he been thinking obsessively about Ginny and Voldemort and about Ron and Hermione, but just for a moment he had allowed himself to be distracted by the same spectacle that had drawn the eye of Michael, Seamus and the others.

Cho was simply beautiful and Marietta pretty if you did not look at her forehead and not many boys were in the habit given that her most admirable qualities were lower down. Harry and Cho had a past and regardless of Ginny he could not but wonder what might have been if only he had asked her to the ball before Cedric. Everything would have been different then and Cedric might even be alive. That did that mean that he wanted a relationship with her and even still longed for her in that way. He didn't. He had all he needed and wanted in Ginny, but still he wondered about it.

However, for now Harry knew only one thing for certain. Marietta was no longer a DA member. She was obviously unstable.

A crowd of murmuring people had started to gather around the prone Marietta; but the Hogwarts staff quickly intervened. As having house points taken away would be ridiculous at this point and it was apparent even to the staff that Marietta has been a 'bit-off;' Michael did not get in trouble for casting the full-body bind on her and in fact volunteered to take her to the hospital wing. She was in no immediate danger and Madam Pomfrey could check on her when she returned from helping Pansy.

They quickly explained the urgency of the situation to Luna and Cho cast a cleansing charm on her clothes as well as those of Justin and Luna; while Harry ordered Seamus to find Dean and to make sure the others were organized. Cho then led Harry, Hermione, Justin and Luna back to the room of requirement.

Although Luna had told him that she would be fine, Justin had insisted on going with her and Harry had allowed it. Although part of Justin's motivation was curiosity, Harry also recognized in Justin the familiar need to protect that he felt for Ginny and to a lesser extent for Hermione. He also felt a lingering need to protect Cho and recognized that like Justin and probably Neville he would do anything to ensure Luna's safety. Having come so close just now to losing her, he no longer denied to himself as he sometimes did in the past that she was among his closest friends.

The door to the Room of Requirement had remained open and Tonks, Angelina and Madam Pomfrey were standing next to Pansy. Madam Pomfrey looked baffled and distraught.

Pansy was still standing on the left side of the door in the exact same spot where Luna had hit her with the staff. She stood very stiffly and her skin had turned a pallid grey color. Her eyes were wide open and she was not blinking. She did not even appear to be breathing. Harry placed his hand on her neck and felt for a pulse.

He felt none. Pansy was dead.

A voice called to him. "Harry, what is going on? Downstairs there are all sorts of odd rumors about Pansy and Luna. They said Luna came back up here and I haven't seen Pansy so…"

Harry looked up into the face of the last person he wanted to see at the moment. It was Anthony Goldstein. "Anthony…I-don't know how…" began Harry in an attempt to soften the blow, but Anthony took one look at Harry and all the glum faces around him; especially at Madam Pomfrey and alarmed raced over to Pansy.

"Pansy?!" He said shaking her. "Sis?" He shouted at her: "HEY, PAN!" He snapped his fingers in front of her face and waved his hands in front of her eyes but Pansy stayed rigidly still. "PANSY!" Like Harry he felt her pulse and then shook his head and strangely calm turned to Luna. Looking her straight in her eyes he said: "Luna, what did you do to my sister?"

But, Luna couldn't answer. For the first time in Harry's memory Luna was crying. She was crying so hard in Justin's arms that she was chocking between her sobs and could hardly breathe. She took air in great gulping gasps. It was the most ordinary and the most shocking thing Harry had ever seen her do and it broke his heart.

There was no denying it. Pansy was dead. Marietta had been right. Luna had killed Pansy. Luna was a murderer.

* * *

**Harry Potter and The Choices of the Heart **

******Chapter 14: The Ravenclaw Tea Party ****  
**

**By Ydnas Odell **

_Quotation: The death of a mother is the first sorrow wept without her._

_Attribution: --Anonymous _

* * *

Michael Corner's footsteps echoed through the dark and empty corridors of Hogwarts as he speedily floated Marietta Edgecombe towards the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey would meet them there. Michael hoped that this time she would know how to help Marietta.

He had not wanted to hurt her before, but if he hadn't acted Marietta would have killed Luna. He could have stunned her, but instead had cast _Petrificus Totalus _as it was less damaging. The Marietta he knew before the incident would never have tried to kill; except when around Luna she was a shy, kind and decent person. Even her betrayal of the DA had not been done out of maliciousness, but an attempt to right what she had thought to be a wrong.

Harry's tale was to strange, the implications to unbelievable; as contrary to magic as apparition was to the muggle concepts of physics, to believe in it tore gaping holes in the mythos of magic, twisted logic to obscene levels, required an article of belief and faith that had long been missing from the rigidly explained order of wizarding universe. Only muggles believed in miracles. But if you believed in what Harry had told the Quiibbler and the DA there didn't seem to be any other explanation for what had happened at the cemetery. Magic simply could not restore life to the dead. It was easier then to believe then what Marietta had, that Harry was lying.

But the results of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries had changed all that.

Confronted with inarguable proof, there didn't seem to be any choice but to believe that Voldemort had pulled off a dark miracle. That he might be what the muggles called the anti-chrysler, and the wizard purists called the magisiah: the powerful dark lord who would cleanse the world of the corruption of muggle blood.

There were rumors of prophecy and counter-prophecy, of inexplicable sightings of devils and demons. Only months ago wizarding society had been almost agnostic, with only a few weird wizards and wizened witches traveling the path of the cross. Now many crossed themselves as if to ward of an evil that couldn't be named.

Wizarding churches had begun to spring up again after a long period of near dormancy. The Hufflepuff ghost had lately been preaching to wailing crowds, saying that the end times were near; of the pending rebirth of spirits and of possession without the Imperius curse.

Michael himself had not become the religious sort; he had not been willing to give in to what he considered shear claptrap. There had to be a reasonable explanation for what had happened. And he knew it had, he had never doubted. Not from the moment Harry had explained it. But he understood why others did.

The inexplicable was a fearful thing.

None of it made any sense, but the concept of a miracle made even less sense to him. They had found the body of He-Who-Must-Not-be-named at Godric's Hollow hadn't they? So how could he be alive again, if his old body was in ashes and still in the ministry vaults at Gringots or wherever they kept or buried it. It didn't make any sense.

Therefore he could understand why Marietta had thought Harry a bit of a loon and a danger to the Ministry; before the battle at the Department of Mysteries, even in the magical world, dead meant dead. True, it was odd that a mere baby had killed the Dark Lord, but almost everyone (aside from Quibbler readers) believed that it was explicable through magical feedback or some other odd but not impossible occurrence. Given that, Marietta's action had actually been logical.

Although Michael understood why Marietta had betrayed them, he had not forgiven her quickly. If not for Hermione's curse he would have been expelled and while it had been his choice to take that risk, it had also been Marietta's choice to betray him. It was not easy to forgive a betrayer, no matter her reason, but he had still forgiven her enough to still consider her his friend, even if they were more distant then they had been.

Cho's forgiveness had cost her Harry and his choice to forgive Marietta had indirectly cost him Ginny. She had never understood Michael's friendship with Marietta.

One good thing did come of it. Cho would never have fallen in love with him if Marietta hadn't betrayed them and Michael was certain Cho was in love with him; no matter how much she refused to admit it.

He had meet Marietta when he was nine and she ten. They had both been chasers for a small summer Quidditch youth league. During the championship game between Michael's team (Carrie's Cauldrons Cats) and Marietta's (Dartmoor Apothecary Dragons), Michael had flown circles around his opposing chaser.

Marietta was not very good and Michael had stolen the quaffle from her numerous times and scored often, but a rather brilliant raven haired seeker named Cho Chang had won the cup for the Dragons with a beautifully executed Wronski faint that he still admired.

The only thing Quidditch related Marietta had been any good at was trying to distract her opponent with jokes and jests. She was good at it. The only time she had scored was the time she had made him laugh so hard that he had snorted and dropped the quaffle right in front of the goal hoop. He had made friends then with Marietta even if she was a girl and she had properly introduced her to Cho when she helped Michael onto the train his first year.

Both girls had been so excited that Harry Potter was in his year. They had really hoped that Michael would be sorted into his house so he could introduce them to Harry. However, Michael was intent on being sorted into Ravenclaw. Ravenclaw was Marietta's house and much more importantly to Michael, it was also the house of the pretty and smart raven haired seeker.

Even after the DA disaster, Marietta had always been able to make him laugh; which was why her behavior over the 3 months since Easter had been so disturbing. He was not sure he had seen her smile once since then. He understood why it was so hard. Marietta was alone now or thought she was and even he and Cho had found the 'incident' difficult to deal with.

There were days when Cho cried even harder than she had over Cedric and he could do nothing but hold her and his own nightmares of Marietta's screams refused to stop.

He now brushed a strand of hair away from the "sneak" mark and looked down at Marietta (some staff member had healed her nose) and whispered: "I promise you, you'll be alright someday."

She just blinked at him as he continued to float her immobile form to the hospital wing. The sneak mark had not helped her sanity. In the early days Marietta had been teased mercilessly about that mark. Maybe she deserved it, but he could not help blaming Hermione at least a little for what had happened.

He sighed; maybe Madam Pomfrey should just erase her memory. It was a horrible thing to do to someone and it had already been done to Marietta once against her will. But would erasing her memory change anything? Marietta would still know that her mother had been killed by Death Eaters and she would still suffer the physical effects of her torture. Even if she couldn't remember the details the damage had been done and in this case it might be better for Marietta to have the memories than to imagine them.

Since the 'incident'; Marietta had grown more and more detached and had taken to hiding in the library even more then usual. Nothing he, Pomfrey or Cho had tried could lift her spirits.

Luna had made note of Marietta's state the moment the trio had returned from their disastrous Easter break and unaware of the true cause of Marietta's misery had also tried to cheer up Marietta.

However, Marietta had not been interested in speaking to someone she considered the class fool and had become more and more hostile to her antics. It was amazing that Luna even tried, any normal person in Luna's position would have rejoiced at Marietta's misery. When it came to Luna; Marietta had a vicious streak. She was Luna's leading bully and Michael had lost count of how many times Marietta had left Luna crying. A full two years older she had never overlooked a chance to make Luna miserable.

Before Ginny had made him stop; Michael had been part of the group that had stolen and hidden Luna's things just to see how she would react, but he had never been Marietta. Marietta had always seemed to truly dislike the loon and near the end of Luna's second year she had played a prank that had caused Luna's to sprout antlers, whiskers and mouse ears.

Cho who had been the only Ravenclaw to treat Luna with respect and as far as Michael knew had never participated in a single prank on Luna; had been furious. She had refused to speak to Marietta until Luna had returned to the house and then had made Marietta mumble a half-hearted apology to the odd girl.

Marietta's treatment of Luna had been inexplicable. Marietta rarely made fun of or pulled pranks on any other Ravenclaws; not even the almost equally quirky Orla Quirke.

Since Easter it had been worse. It was if she considered Luna's sunny disposition to be a conspiracy against her. Every time Marietta had managed to escape from Cho and Michael; Luna had tracked her down. Luna would smile, tell a joke, tell an impossible tale in her dreamy voice or try to interest her in a game of fizzbin. Every time it had ended badly. Every time Marietta had stormed away. She would not listen to Luna; had even purposely served a detention just to get away from her.

But still Cho had been convinced that Luna was the answer. She had broken a snog in the back row of the library to tell him: "Michael, I know it….I just do….if we can convince Marietta that Luna is her friend... she'll be alright…Luna can heal her."

Michael did not know if he fully agreed, but at the time he was more interested in the snog, which is why he had said yes to her insane plan.

Cho knew that Luna had also lost her mother and that Luna had helped her in a small way to get over Cedric and everyone was aware of the rumors that Luna had helped Harry over his grief after the Department of Mysteries. Some of those rumors were rather lurid about "how" she had done this, but Michael had ignored them. Luna was attractive, but too weird and at the time he had sincerely doubted anyone had even dared risk the embarrassment of being seen to flirt with her.

They had told her about Marietta's mother's death, sworn her to magical secrecy and asked her to help; Luna had readily agreed.

It had started as a fairly ordinary study session in a nearly empty common room.

Cho and Marietta had been looking over their transfiguration notes in order to study for their N.E.W.T.S and were quizzing each other one the proper wand movement to transfigure bee's into buzzers; while in the far corner Lisa Turpin and Padma Patil gibbered over the latest issue of _Witch Weekly and the _lovebirds Orla Quirke and Stewart Ackerly sat in the fireside setae, holding hands, staring deeply into each others eyes and stealing kisses, while the dove they were supposed to be turning pink cooed at them.

Luna had sat on the floor across from Michael with her legs crossed serenely drinking tea. A happily bubbling Ravenclaw teapot and a tea set were set on the tray between them. Luna was tutoring Michael in Divination.

Padma had looked at them and made a face. "Michael you should just drop Divination, instead of letting Loony tutor you. My sister likes it, but it is hardly suitable for a Ravenclaw."

Michael had ignored her. He was horrible in Divination, but Luna was the best in her class. Michael had yet to master tea reading which was part of the prior year's curriculum, but Luna was an expert in it. The rumors were that Trelawney had suggested Divination as a career for Luna.

Luna had looked at him intently and had set her cup down next to Michael. "That was good tea Michael, wasn't it?" she had asked.

"It was a bit strong," he had answered truthfully as Luna nodded and said: "Now show me how you swirl your tea."

He had picked up the cup and swirled it three times counter-clockwise.

"No, Michael swirl clockwise," Luna had said sweetly.

Embarrassed Michael had then swirled his cup clockwise three times and then turned it upside down on his saucer. Luna had done the same.

Michael had then reached for his cup. "That's my cup, Michael!" Luna had said, "but, it's ok to read my fortune."

He had then taken her cup and turned the handle so it was facing Luna and examined it. There were several drops of tea left it the cup, many near the rim. These had represented only one thing: tears. Soon something very sad was likely to happen to Luna. There was also a large clump of leaves on the side far from the handle. This indicated trouble. Trouble not of her own making. There was also one group of tea leaves shaped like a heart very near a J shape. But there were also hearts near an N and a very large heart on the bottom of the cup next to an R. Luna would have many loves. There was also a bee near the handle, a hammer on the side and a circle with a dot near the J. Quite a lot of things actually. In many ways this was not a good fortune, but at the time Michael thought there were some things Luna might like.

"Well?" Luna had said.

Michael had then read the fortune: "I see a couple of loves and soon much sorrow and much trouble. But I see love related to the letter "J"-not in the too distant future. You will soon have many friends, Luna. But there seems to be great and dark difficulties closing in upon you in the near future. Some hidden."

Luna had then taken the cup from him and looked it over saying: "Well done, Michael! Except you left out the part about hard work and the baby. The baby is in the medium future. Odd, that ….I haven't even been kissed yet. Oh, well, I hope I have the baby after I finish school…and after Harry finishes off Voldemort."

Padma and Lisa had gasped at the name and Marietta had looked at Luna strangely, but then Luna had turned away and started to examine his fortune. It had the same clump of leaves on the far side of the handle and the bee. There was also a large heart by a butterfly and a ring, but there had been nothing on the bottom of his cup, no distant future. Everything had clung to the sides.

This had concerned Michael and Cho greatly, but Luna had shrugged it off with the comment that: "It might just mean that in the future Michael is boring!"

She had then begun to quizzing and lecturing him on what the different symbols meant as Michael wrote them down.

It had made him smile. Loony Luna was a bit like Trelawney, but whether either of them could tell the future, Michael had no idea; but he did know that Luna had a knack for starring at teacups and showing him how. Within ten minutes he had filled his parchment with all sorts of magical beasts and symbols and he had actually seen many of them in the leaves. However, none of the leaves told him what was about to happen and he wished now in hindsight that they had, for if somehow he could've prevented what happened next that night, then he might have prevented Marietta's breakdown.

It was then that Luna had suddenly turned and dreamily said: "Do you want me to tell you your fortune, Marietta"

Marietta had turned instantly, fully red in the face and had closed her book with an angry snap: "Absolutely not!" she had said. "I'm not interested in your future fantasies Luna, I don't fancy riding a snorkack naked through the tulips anytime soon."

"But..." Luna had protested "I can help you!"

But Marietta had just shaken her head angrily: ""Luna! How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not interested in your kind of help! You're the bad seed of Ravenclaw. Now, get away from me!" She had then stormed to the far side of the room, far away from Cho and Luna.

Orla Quirke had then broken away from Stewart and asked in a whinny voice: "if Marietta won't let you tell her fortune, Luna will you tell mine? I want to know if Stewie and I will be together forever and ever."

But, Luna had ignored Orla and had instead walked over to Marietta and suddenly thrown her arms about her in a tight hug.

Marietta had tried to push her off and had shouted: "GETOFF ME!"

"No!" Luna had said determinedly and had then added as if pulling the thought from the ether: "Your Mother died during Easter. Didn't she Marietta?"

Marietta had reacted by dropping her quill and book in shock as Padma and Lisa watched with mouths agape.

"She did."

"No."

Luna had then moved closer, and placed a hand on Marietta's shoulder. "It is OK, Marietta," Luna had said. "It is OK to cry… Cho told me...It is ok to be upset…I know how it feels to lose a...mum."

Marietta had then pushed Luna's hand away violently and snapped back with: "No you don't, Luna! Not like me! Get away from me, Luna! GO AWAY!"

To that Luna had replied softly: "Marietta, my mother died too."

To this Marietta had exploded with angry tears: "NOT LIKE MINE!" and with a foot actually stamping with rage had glared at Luna over her nose, "Don't you dare compare your mother's death to my mothers. My mum was a hero! She died on her feet defending us! Your...Your mother…." She had spat…was a coward, a hoar and a traitor to the ministry. She abandoned it when it most needed her. She was Lachesis the lecherous loon. She died on her back; moaning in green goo! And she died Luna not because she was accident prone. No Luna...she died because you killed her!"

MARIETTA!" Cho had jumped to her feet with sudden anger, angry enough to try to grab at Marietta.

But Marietta had now rounded on Cho: "I will not be comforted by a murderer, Cho!"

"I didn't mean to kill my mum," Luna had then said extremely softly as she burst into tears. "It was an accident."

But Marietta had ignored her tears and had just gone on screaming: "That's what the ministry says. My mum said different, she always warned me about you!"

Luna had then wailed in self-defense: "But, when the cauldron over boiled…I ...I"

And Marietta had then attacked with: "How could the child of the ministries greatest potion maker not know what to do for a simple over boil? No, you did that on purpose."

"I was NINE! I panicked…." Luna had pleaded: "I….I was never any good at potions, even Neville is better."

There had been no effect on Marietta except that she had grown even angrier,

"You're a liar Luna! My mum told me that you came from a long line of dark wizards and that killing ran in your blood. You killed your mother Luna, I don't doubt it a bit and silly Cho wants you to comfort me about mine!" she had spat and had headed for her dorm.

But Cho had cried at Marietta's retreating back: d cried after Marietta's retreating back: "She was at the Department of Mysteries!"

Marietta had whirled at that last and said nastily and nasally: "Really? Cho why do you think Harry's godfather died? Who do you think betrayed Black? I'll tell you who. Luna Lovegood. You'd better consider your friends carefully, Cho!"

And Cho had replied bitterly: "I'm re-considering one now."

Marietta had only answered that with a slight nod and "Good!" and had gone to her dorm, no doubt to sob.

In the meantime, Michael had wrapped his arms around Luna and was trying to hold up the distraught and suddenly weak and limp girl. She had fallen to the ground sobbing incoherently as if broken utterly: "MUM! Mum! I'm so sorry! It was an accident."

While Michael was holding her a stiff breeze as if someone had left a tower window open had begun to blow, it had ruffled Luna's hair and had blown dust into a visible swirl pattern; it had built as Luna sobbed, until a sudden whirl had sent papers flying in a spiral around Luna. The miniature maelstrom had then twirled faster and faster until Cho had ducked and cried: "Luna!" as a ceramic ashtray had sailed over her head to shatter behind her. It had been sucked off the table.

Then the half-pink dove had then squawked and flown for its life as Michael and the others spent the next few furious minutes dodging: _Wacky Wind Wards, Tutshill Tornadoes: A Team of Thunder, Elemental Emotions and Roland's Regulations on Runes & Ruins_ plus other thick textbooks and Luna's butterbeer cap necklace, a quintuplet of quick quills, a flood of floo powder, a pack of parchment, _The Quibbler, Witch Weekly_, socks and even Luna's teapot, cups and tray. You see, Marietta had made Luna a bit upset.

Cho's murmurs of apology hadn't done any good and then Lisa and Padma had come over to try and help, but instead of calming down Luna had just wailed harder and the wind-storm had grown and grown.

It had even sucked a painting of an early Ravenclaw prefect off the wall, which had orbited above them ranting as poor Lisa was set upon by an issue of Witch Weekly; which came near to suffocating her, as even with Orla's help the wind hadn't let her pry it off her face.

The tops however had been a screaming house-elf who had flown past being pursued by socks. With his hair flaring wildly and his whole body threatening to take flight, Michael had been forced to root himself to the floor with a sticky feet charm; but still one of the teacup's had bounced off his forehead and cut it deeply leaving him with a small wound. Later on he would have it healed, but the cut was still deep enough to leave a small Harry like scar. Strangely Cho had liked to kiss it.

Meanwhile as Cho had been trying to calm Luna down, the blond had been truly sobbing and screaming almost incoherently: "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, MUM! The cauldron exploded, I panicked. You died ….because. You died because the wrackerspurts invaded my brain…You died… you died because….. because…you died because Harry lived!"

Finally Cho had been forced to stun Luna to stop the destruction; but Michael had never forgotten the last thing he had heard Luna cry: "_You died... you died...because Harry lived!" _

They had then brought Luna to Madam Pomfrey and the nurse had made Luna drink a dreamless sleep potion and had forced her to stay the night, but Luna had never again tried to help Marietta and neither Cho nor Michael had ever reported what Luna had said to Harry.

Marietta? Well, after the tea incident she would often escape from Cho and Michael's constant vigilance and find the library; where she sat as far from Hermione Granger as possible and mirthlessly studied dusty Ravenclaw tomes; pouring endlessly over the history of the dark arts and Ravenclaw prophecies she had fed her wisdom even as she had starved her sanity.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

a/n So, What do you think? Is anyone going to buy Ginny and Harry's 'break-up' besides Lavender? Is Luna safe? Has Marietta gone insane? What is wrong with Pansy? Did Luna realy murder her? Or her own mother? Is that possible?

a/n Let me know what you think. I like reviews whether they are good or critical because they help me to improve my writing.


	7. Chapter 15 & 16

**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart ****  
****Chapter 15: Corpus Morticus**

**by DA Jones**

* * *

_Quote: As for a future life, every man must judge for himself between conflicting vague probabilities. _

_Attribution: Charles Darwin _

* * *

Michael pushed open the doors to the hospital wing and floated Marietta to the nearest bed. The only other patient in ward at the moment was a red haired man with an earring who seemed to be deeply engrossed in a thin red book with hearts, and gold leafed writing along the spine that said: _Marriage & Mating Rituals Of The Veela by Sheila Screen and Organa Simms. _

As Michael walked past the man lowered the book and Michael saw a hideous sight that almost made him drop Marietta. The man had a horrid face that redefined ugly; it was scabbed and swollen and crisscrossed with livid red and purple claw marks. The horror placed the book on the nightstand and said: "I think I know you."

Michael placed Marietta on a bed and made her as comfortable as possible and then turned to the man, struggling to look him in the eyes. Did he know this man? There was something strangely familiar even if...it was impossible to identify him now; the injuries had created a mask of scabs. He must be one of the Auroras that had helped Harry defend the castle; a couple had been hurt.

"I don't think I know you, but you must be an Auror. I'm Michael Corner," he said extending his hand.

The man shook it firmly. "Michael Corner? Michael --I think Fred and George told me about you. Weren't you Ginny's first boyfriend?"

Michael blushed. This mysterious man must be one of Ginny's brothers he thought. What were the names of her brother's? This wasn't Percy. He knew he had a job at the ministry, but wasn't an Auror. There was also Charlie the dragon keeper and Bill the curse breaker. But neither of them worked for the Ministry either. So, why had one of Ginny's brothers been in the castle if none of them were Aurors?

"Michael, I'm Ginny's oldest brother Bill. I wasn't there the day you visited the burrow, but no one ever said anything bad about you; other then what brothers are supposed to say about their sister's boyfriends. Fred and George thought you rather too easy going for Ginny though".

"I suppose I was. She can have a rather nasty-temper."

"That my sister does," said Bill with a laugh.

"But Ginny said you were a curse-breaker for Gringotts, not an Auror so what where you doing in the castle when the Death Eaters attacked?

"I was here on a special assignment for Gringotts; but Dumbledore is a family friend and he asked me to do him a favor and stay the night and help the professor's patrol. But you should know Michael that the Weasleys always end up in the thick of things. Didn't Ginny tell you about all the legendary Weasleys when you were dating? Dark Lords are sort of drawn to us. It seems you can't be a bonafide Dark Lord without a Weasley for an enemy."

"But, what happened to you?"

"Greyback happened to me."

"Greyback? Greyback the werewolf?"

Bill almost laughed. "There's only one Greyback and thank Merlin for that, but don't worry...he wasn't transformed at the time."

Despite Bills reassurance (which wasn't any sort of reassurance at all) Michael felt himself unconsciously backing-up and reaching for his wand.

"So you're a werewolf?" he asked trepiditiously..

He tried to remind himself that not all werewolves were evil and that it was highly unlikely that a Weasley werewolf would be. Professor Lupin had been a werewolf after-all and hadn't been evil. Professor Dumbledore would not have hired him if he was; but then Dumbledore had hired his own murderer hadn't he?

No the Headmaster hadn't been perfect. Michael decided he was wise to be wary and he made sure that he could protect Marietta and draw his wand at a moments notice. Not all werewolves were evil, or all Vampires blood suckers, but in their company the wise man protected his neck.

"Professor Lupin himself has discussed it with me, and he seems to be of the opinion that I'll be fine. However, I do rather like raw meat; which is OK because my fiancée doesn't like to cook," said Bill with a laugh.

"Who is your friend?" he added peering at Marietta's forehead.

"Marietta."

"Marietta Edgecombe? Ginny told me she is the one who betrayed the DA to Umbridge."

"Yes, she did. But I've forgiven her. So have all the Ravenclaws. She is a good person at heart."

"Who betrayed her friends."

"She is a good person."

"As were most French muggles who were collaborators during the muggle's World War Two."

"This is different."

"The stakes were barely less."

"We did not know that then."

"You could have been expelled."

"Yes, we know that, but the Ravenclaws have all forgiven her."

"Why?"

"She is our friend."

"Then why have you petrified your friend?"

"What! How could you know that?"

"No magic Michael, it is in her eyes. Which is the only part she can move. Curse breakers are trained to notice these things. It is not all ancient runes you know, sometimes I break more modern curses and for those you may need to talk to your enemy. She is rather mad at you."

"Well, she is not my enemy."

"Tell her that."

He did and looked her sadly in the eyes. "You know why I had to do this, Marietta. You're not yourself. You tried to kill Luna! That's not you. I was saving you when I did it. I didn't do it to hurt you. I did it because you're my friend and Luna's my friend too --sort of and I'd rather have both of you around."

"She tried to kill a student?"

"Yes, that Auror Tonks is supposed to come up her and talk to her."

"She tried to kill Luna Lovegood-- the daughter of the Quibbler's owner?"

"Yes, but Marietta has been acting very odd lately, and well she was justifiably mad at Luna, answered Michael."

"What could justify attempted murder?"

"Nothing really, but Marietta thought she was avenging Pansy Parkinson."

"Why what happened to Pansy Parkinson?"

"Luna might have killed her."

"Luna Lovegood might have killed Pansy Parkinson?!" said Bill incredulously.

"Yes."

"But that is...well that is most unlikely. Luna is not the type."

"And neither is Marietta."

"So, that is where Tonks is now? Investigating Ms. Parkinson's murder? No, don't answer that Michael. I may find out something else has happened in the time I've been reading this book. A lot has happened in this school since breakfast, hasn't it?"

"A lot happens here period. But if you count burying the headmaster and two attempted murders and what amounts to an evacuation in one morning, than I'd say yes, this has been a bit of an unusual day."

"At least," continued Michael exasperated "I can say I left Hogwarts with memories. Even if most of them are not the good kind."

"Don't worry, Michael. I have a feeling the school will open next year and you will have plenty of time for good memories. But, I do need to change the topic and ask this question: 'has anyone ever checked Marietta's arm to see whether she's a death eater or not?'"

"Cho would know if she was."

"And you can trust your friend Cho?".

"Of course, I can trust Cho, that's like asking if you can trust the sun to shine!"

"You can't always trust friends, Michael. That was a mistake Harry's father once made."

"But if you can't trust your friends, who can you trust?"

"Oh, you can trust them; most of the time. But as the famous Ex-Auror Mad-Eye Moody is fond of saying -_'the key is to 'verify'"_

Bill Weasley climbed shakily to his feet climbed off his bed and rolled back the sleeve of Marietta's left arm. There was nothing but pink flesh. "It seems that in this case, at least Michael, you can trust your friends."

After a pause Bill continued: "So, tell me Michael. How exactly did your friend here try to kill Luna?"

"She sent a yellow curse at Luna but it missed and hit a swan. The swan died but its spirit or ghost continued flying on."

"What was the incantation?"

Michael thought a moment. "I think she said _Corpus Morticus_ or something like that."

"She tried to use the Hufflepuff ghosting curse. A killing curse, but a gentler one."

"I thought only the only killing curse was the Avada Kedavra?"

"Michael, the Slytherin killing curse is the only outright banned killing curse, but there are others that are only regulated and not banned. The ghosting curse is allowed to be used by healers in certain cases. It splits the soul from the body gently and without pain. It is an element of the complicated spells that make portraits and is related to the creation of ghosts and spirits, which is why it is called the ghosting curse."

"That makes no sense, why ban one killing curse and not another?"

"What do you know about the Avada Kedavra?"

"I've seen it used. The fake Professor Moody used it to kill a spider. It is a green flash."

"But what does it do?"

"It kills and doesn't leave a mark."

"Yes. Michael it kills, but it does more than that. It destroys. If you are hit by a killing curse you don't just die Michael...you all but cease to be."

Michael Corner let Bill Weasley's words 'cease to be' roll around his head a bit. It was impossible to believe. If it was true….then… "Dumbledore is gone then, isn't he? He's not going to come back as one of the portraits in his office is he?"

"No."

"But that makes no sense. I read Harry's interview in the Quibbler. Everyone who was killed with You-Know-Who's Wand came out of it, as if they were spirits. If the Avada Kedavra makes them cease to be, how can they come out of the wand?"

He knew that deep down Cho clung to the hope that some day she would see Cedric again. It was one of the few things that kept her going, that hope. If Cedric's soul had been crushed by the Avada Kedavra (which seemed to be what Bill was saying) then there was no hope. Cedric would be gone not just from the mortal sphere but from existence. He did not think he could ever tell Cho that. The thought was devastating even to him. Cedric had been a friend.

And then there was Professor Dumbledore. He found he could not bear the thought that Dumbledore was gone from all of existence. It was hard enough to believe that the great man was dead. It was a concept his mind refused to grasp.

"Voldemort's wand is the only place they exist. As an imprint, a fading shadow of their memory, or perhaps a tiny bit of soul, and although the Prior Incantato spell can free them for moment they are otherwise trapped eternally unless a very ancient magic can set them free."

"What sort of magic?"

"Love. Someone who loves them all must break the wand of the murderer."

"So in order to free all of them someone who loves them has to break the wand of He-Who-Must–Not-Be-Named. But, who has that sort of unconditional love. Not everyone can love all these people. Cho loves Cedric and she can set him free, but she doesn't know or love Harry's parents or that muggle...that is also trapped… what did the Quibbler say he name was?"

"Frank Bryce."

"Maybe Dumbledore can be freed as it is only Snape's wand that needs to be broken and I suppose many people love Dumbledore; but who can possibly love all the people He-Who-Must-Not-BE-Named killed?"

"There might be someone"

"Who?"

"Harry Potter."

**

* * *

**

Harry Potter And The Choices of the Heart

**Chapter 16: Trust**

**by Ydnas Odell (aka DA Jones)**

* * *

_Quote: "To be trusted is a greater compliment then to be loved."_

_Source: George MacDonald Novelist, Poet and Christian Fantasy writer (1824-1905) _

* * *

The Hogwarts Express was late. Very late. Two hours late and still marooned at Hogsmeade. The attempted murder of Luna and the rumor of an actual murder on the grounds had nearly caused a riot.

No one could apparate away because of the powerful anti-apparation charms that the Ministry had cast in Hogsmeade and a large portion of the crowd was on the verge of panic. Through-out the aisles first and second year's bawled continuously, while their mad mothers ran back and forth pulling their hair and waving their wands in circles over their heads as the petrified muggles cowered in their cabins in fear of the deranged witches.

Ron's mum had been forced to rescue a nervous Professor Flitwick from a small mob of mothers led by Seamus's mum. They had forced him from the train and surrounded him on the Hogsmeade platform demanding that the train leave immediately.

The men acted more vigorously. A panicked father of a first-year Slytherin had tried to hijack the engine cab, but had been wrestled away by Fred, George and an Auror in her mid-twenties with an eye-patch and a long-plait of dark brown hair down her back with the ironic name of Aurora Law. Magical Law Enforcement Officers had then taken the man away to be roughly questioned; there was always the possibility that he was a Death Eater.

Dumbledore's Army was in a similarly agitated state. Although Ron had tried to explain what had happened at the castle they were all as anxious and bewildered as the adults. None of it made any sense and now Harry had decided to take Hermione, Justin and Cho and go back up to the castle with Tonks to investigate what had happened to Pansy; while Michael had volunteered to take Marietta to the hospital wing.

With the exception of the missing students they had all assumed the cars they had been assigned, but that meant that poor Ron was sitting in one of the Slytherin cars with Professor Slughorne while awaiting the return of Hermione.

Everyone blamed him for the delay and between the glares of the Slytherins and the constant squelching, squirming and 'overing' of the audiowyrm in Ron's ear he was getting a mighty headache.

Soon after they had arrived at the train, Terry Boot had accidentally triggered what Dean called an 'open communications channel' by saying "open the window". This 'open communication channel' allowed everyone to hear the communications of the others, but a private channel could still be obtained by saying the word 'over'. In both cases though a speaker could only be heard if they stated a person's name (assuming they were in range and had an Audiowyrm).

Terry had then figured out that the maximum range of the audiowyrms was about a quarter of a mile; which meant that the entire train was covered and if anyone standing near the edge of the Hogwarts grounds they could communicate with the group, but they couldn't reach Harry or any of the others in the castle. Terry had also speculated that the wyrms would have a much longer range in an environment with less magical interference.

While Seamus was occupied trying to calm his mum, Dean was trying to help Ron maintain order over the wyrm network, but it had turned into a fiasco of a free for all, with DA members shouting at each other over the connection. Ron seemed to bear the brunt of it as without Harry he seemed to be their surrogate leader and was therefore the one they complained to.

"Ron, I don't care if Luna killed Pansy or not," said Katie Bell her high-pitched voice vibrating in Ron's head. "It's more important that we leave as soon as possible. The longer we sit here the longer the Death Eaters have to plan and the more danger we are in. Why did Harry get involved in this? He should have just left it to Tonks and the other Aurors."

"Katie, we couldn't have left without Tonks either," said Dean.

Dean," continued Katie "Harry is always getting involved in things he shouldn't!"

Upon hearing this Ron's sister Ginny tried to jump in with: "Voldemort would've won by now, if he hadn't!" but her comment was completely ineffective and not heard by any of the others since Voldemort didn't have an audiowyrm.

"Katie," retorted Ron angrily in proper audiowyrm etiquette "If Harry hadn't gotten involved your Quidditch toned bum wouldn't even sitting on this train, so shut-up and get, OVER-it!"

In consternation Ron found he had accidentally switched his audiowyrm to a private channel with Katie. However he could still heard the next comment which was made by Susan Bones as it was addressed to him. Susan came to Katie's rescue. "Ron, Katie's only stating the obvious. Harry's our only hope. He can't be going off on unimportant tasks like investigating Loony. "

"Open," said Ron re-establishing the link to the rest of the group, "Susan, what do you know about what Harry has to do? You know nothing!"

"Ron, He has to kill You-know-who. Everyone knows this, even you-know who. Every dark lord has met his match. Harry is You-know-who's. Dumbledore was Grindelwald's and my Great Uncle Adelbert Bones defeated Darjeeling the Dark and Everlasting."

Ron almost gasped. How could Susan know? How could she know the prophecy? Had her godfather told her? Well, now that he thought about it, it was sort of obvious. After all, ever since the battle in the Department of Mysteries the Daily Prophet had been referring to Harry as the 'chosen one.' How hard was it to guess?

Also Susan was a Bones and like the Weasley's the Bones family had always been involved in dark lord fighting. Her family had been members of the Order of the Phoenix during the previous war against you-know-who and there were several Bones enshrined on Chocolate Frog cards, and at Diagon Alley's: Wax _Way of Wondrous, Worthy & Wacky Wizards & Witches_ (he had heard of this, not seen it. The admission price to the museum was too expensive.)

And despite their fall out with Dumbledore it was likely that Bones were still involved on the periphery of the order. Harry had said that Susan's Aunt Amelia had seemed to be close to Dumbledore. He could probably trust Susan, but still it was unnerving that she had guessed the truth.

Ernie Macmillan was now asking Susan about Darjeeling: "Susan wasn't Darjeeling the Dark and Everlasting the wizard that was killed with a teapot in 1867."

"Ernie, yes but it wasn't easy," said Susan with glee. "My great uncle Adelbert (his chocolate frog card calls him by his nickname: "Able Al") went on a great epic trek through the Amazonian rain forest and had to slay the Great and Sacred Mighty Monkey-Monk of Kaiowa just to confirm the teapots existence and then he had to go all the way to a tea plantation in Malaysia, another in China, one in India and to win the last piece he had to climb the highest mountain in Nepal and fight an Abominable Snowman. Once he had all the pieces he had to repair it with a special spell and then of course select exactly just the right crumpets to go with the Darjeeling's tea, brew it at just the right temperature and set-up the best designer tea doilies with all right wards and charms and then sit down to the final tea-time with Darjeeling; who I understand was a rather rude guest. My Grand Aunt Adelaide helped with the tea doilies."

Ron just shook his head. "Susan, I know your families done a lot, but you can't know what Harry has to do."

"Ron, I know he had better concentrate. You know who is too powerful to worry about minor things. Whether Luna killed Pansy is unimportant, but what Harry has to do is."

Lavender's who was sitting next to Susan in their car, let out a gasp of shock that was audible over the audiowyrm. "SUSAN, DEATH IS UNIMPORTANT?! HOW, CAN YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SAY THAT! Susan, Pansy might be dead and LOONY of all people may have killed her."

"Lavender, get used too it. Dumbledore and Cedric are not going to be the only people to die in this war," replied Susan mournfully. "Death happens. People you love will die. If you are going to help Harry fight than you need to understand that a lot more is going to be mussed-up than your make-up!"

For a moment silence settled over the network. They all knew that Susan's aunt Amelia Bones the former head of Magical Law Enforcement had been killed by Voldemort personally and that Susan had had lost other family members to the cause. Of all of hem except maybe Harry she had been most affected by the war.

Finally Lavender felt the need to reply but when she did it was in a very uncharacteristic serious tone of voice: "Susan, I…. know that, but to not care when someone has died is cold and I'll never be that way and Luna….well, there has always been something odd and wrong about her hasn't there? How do we know what side she is on? If she killed Pansy, then she must have used dark magic. How do we know…if she is a death eater or not?"

She was almost accusing Luna of committing murder. Ron knew this was something that Ginny couldn't bear and his sister did what he expected and rose to Luna's defense, screaming at Lavender through the wyrm: "LAVENDER, LUNA DID NOT KILL PANSY!"

"Ginny, calm down, I didn't say she did!" said Lavender.

"Lavender, yes you did."

"Ginny, no…. she is just odd that is all…can we trust her? Why are you friends with her?"

"Lavender, why am I friends with Luna? I'm not…I mean I don't think I'm…I mean… she couldn't have killed Pansy. She is too kind for that."

"Ginny, you don't know her. None of us do, Loony is to strange."

"Lav, I know her better than I know you."

"Ginny, but do you trust her?"

"Lavender, more than you."

"Ginny, you don't trust me?" Lavender sounded hurt.

"Lav, no I do not trust you. Certainly, not to keep a secret. I don't think even an unbreakable vow could keep you from passing a juicy bit of gossip. You'd die rather than keep the latest rumor on your lips. No, I trust Luna more. I know her. I don't know you. She can keep a secret better than me and I know she can fight…as for you, somehow I think Peter Pettigrew was braver."

"GINNY, HOW DARE YOU COMPARE ME TO THAT RAT! LUNA ISN'T EVEN A GRYFFINDOR! "

"Lavender, she's more a friend to me, than you'll ever be!"

There was a pause and them Lavender sniffed over the audiowyrm, obviously hurt:

"Ginny, that's ok," I never really wanted to be your friend. I wanted…I wanted to be your SISTER-IN-LAW!"

"Lavender," said Ron in shock. "This isn't the appropriate place…"

"Ron, Won-Won….you need to know…I know we're over."

Luckily no one could here their conversation; Lavender had unintentionally switched them to a 'private channel.'

"Lavender, of course we're…done"

"Ron, you need to know, in case I die,"

"Lavender, you're not going to die!"

"Ron, we're at war. So you can't tell me that."

"Lavender, you're not going to die!" He repeated.

"Ron, you need to know. You need to know Ron…Won-Won…you need to know that I …that I…that I loved you. "

There was silence that lasted a long time.

Ron didn't really believe that Lavender was in love with him, but still when he responded he tried to be as gentle as he could.

"Lavender, I don't love you. I never did."

This devastated Lavender and Ron could hear her start to cry and Susan Bones make a sound of disgust in the background.

"RON," Lavender screamed through her sobbing, YOU USED ME!"

"Lavender, don't cry. I was interested in you. I care about you. I'm…I'm sorry!"

"RON, USING ME DIDN'T WORK, DID IT RON?! HERMIONE STILL DUMPED YOU FOR HARRY!"

Lavender believed the story Ginny had cooked up. It had taken some time for Ginny to explain this to him. Ron couldn't deny that it would be hard to pretend to not to be in love with Hermione, but he and Hermione would do anything to protect Ginny. And protecting Ginny was also protecting Harry.

"Lavender, you're right. It didn't work. I lost the only girl I ever loved to my best friend. The git."

"RON, DON'T TALK TO ME AGAIN!" screamed Lavender and tried to break the connection.

Lavender tried to dry her eyes, Susan had ignored her sobbing and instead wandered away to tell some more of her fellow Hufflepuffs all about her great uncle Al. Hufflepuffs could be cold when they wanted to.

If her conversation with Ron had been a normal conversation she would've run-off, but as it is she was trapped in a cabin with cold Susan Bones, and besides whatever Ron did, it wouldn't change the fact that she loved the giant prat and no matter what she always would. But now was seriously not the proper time for romantic squabbles and she knew that she shouldn't dwell on it. But it was awfully hard. The hole in her heart was still raw and red and Ron and Ginny had just poked hard at it.

But she had to ignore the pain for now, even if Ron didn't love her or Ginny trust her they were despite everything still her friends and they were depending on her, Ron and Ginny and especially Harry and even the evil-Hermione needed her. For the greater good she had to chuck away her emotions, roll them up like a parchment and chuck them in the bin. Better yet burn them. For none of it mattered. She took in a deep breathe and sucked in the last of her sobs. None of it mattered. For she was at war now.

She told herself that she was a wall. A Gryffindor warrior as fierce as Ginny and as proud as McGonagall. She would not be hurt. She would not let anyone be hurt.

But still in low voice, she said softly to herself: "Ron, whatever happens don't die. Harry needs you, I need you."

The audiowyrm made it impossible for Ron not to hear. But, he ignored it.

--

A/n If you are interested in chapter updates please visit my author page at the HPFF forums under Ydnas Odell, or better yet PM DA Jones on the forum.

A/n So what did you think. It was important to bring forward Lavender and Susan to some extent here, which is the main purpose of this chapter.

The Dark Lord Susan mentions is named after the champagne of tea, in case you didn't get that joke and I'm sure most won't. However it is not strictly just a joke.

Do you think Ginny can ever trust Lavender or is she a lost cause? Any idea what is going on with Luna and Pansy? You might be surprised.

Let me know what you think. I like reviews even if they are critical because they help me to improve my writing


	8. Chapter 17

**Harry Potter & The Choices of the Heart****  
****by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones ****Chapter 18: The Heir of Barnabes**  
_  
__Quote: Live still to die, that by death you may purchase eternal life... As the preacher sayeth, there is a time to be born and a time to die; and the day of death is better than the day of our birth.' __Attribution: Jane Grey's message to John Brydges, lieutenant of the Tower of London, 1554 _

Harry watched Anthony cling to Luna and beg, watched the Ravenclaw hug Luna's knees like a toddler and with watery but focused eyes raise his face to her as if to a deity in worshipful plea, making a prayer for the salvation of his sister:

"Please, Luna I know you're the Heir. If you hurt Pansy you can also cure her. I don't blame you. Pansy is… difficult and I'm sure she's made life hard for you at times. But you didn't mean it – I'm sure you didn't quite understand what would happen. But I need Pansy back. However horrible she is, she's my sister and I love her. So can you please reverse whatever you did to her? Please Luna! Please!"

But Luna looked at him horrified. "I- I can't. Tony, I'm sorry but I don't know what I did!"

"Help her Luna! Oh God…Pan." Anthony scrambled back to where his sister's apparent corpse stood near the door. "Speak to me, Pan! Move! Breathe! Do anything! You're not dead! You can't be dead. Oh, Merlin what's Pony going to say? How do I tell her? Or dad, or Stanley? Rennevate? Did anyone try Rennevate?"

Angelina had come over and clamped a hand on Anthony's shoulder. In a low voice she said: "I'm sorry. We tried it. Pomfrey did too. We tried everything, Anthony…you need to understand. We think your sister is gone."

"No!" He shook her off and turned back to speak to Luna; at first in a newly accusatory whisper but it quickly rose in both tone and volume until he was yelling at her:

"Luna! What did you do? Did you do it on purpose? I didn't think so, but maybe? If you can't fix it, then you've killed her then. You've killed my sister. That's what you did! YOU MURDERER!" He was shouting with bereaved anger now. "You killed Pansy. MURDERER! BITCH! Pansy is dead! YOU KILLED HER! I'll KILL YOU!" And before anyone could act he had grabbed Luna around the neck shaking and strangling her while the small girl resisted limply.

Justin slugged him and Tony released his grip and fell back while Luna gasped for air, crying hard: "It was an accident!"

"MURDERER I'll kill you!" His right-eye blackened he raced forward again, but Justin interposed himself and then Anthony stepped back and raised his wand.

This time Angelina stepped forward her own wand raised. "Let it go Anthony! DROP THE WAND!

"She killed Pansy! I"LL KILL HER!"

"_Expelliarmus_!" said Tonks and Anthony's wand flew into her hand. Then she cast ropes to bind him. "No you won't." said Tonks. "Murderer or not, enough people have tried to kill Luna Lovegood today."

Anthony hopelessly struggled against his bonds for a few moments but then calmed.

"Good you're calm. Keep a good grip on him Angie. Now I'll release these ropes." She did. "And I'll give your wand to Angie and if you behave she'll think about giving it back…Angie fix that eye and then take him to McGonagall's office and find Pansy's parents, and I'll try to help clean up this mess."

Angelina half-dragged Anthony out with her and once they were gone Tonks turned to the still sobbing and half-gasping Luna. "I don't know what you've done, but Ginny and Harry seem to like you, which I assume makes you a good person, but if you've killed Pansy I'll do my job."

What had Luna done? Without a doubt, Pansy was dead and beyond help, but somehow her corpse was still standing by the door, like a paralyzed Inferius. She couldn't be dead if she was standing, could she?

Harry refused to believe it. It couldn't be true. There was no way that Luna could've killed anyone; not unless she had been imperisued? But then she didn't have that telltale dullness to her eyes. Her silver orbs were as lively as ever, even deluged with tears.

Whatever Luna had done, it had to have been an accident like she said, or a fault of the staff. Maybe there was hope? Maybe there was a way to help Pansy. There had to be. Azkaban was no place for Luna.

For several moments there was a sob filled silence, in which nothing happened except that Justin hugged Luna tenderly and tried to wipe her tears away. Then Tonks sighed heavily and said: "Luna, I need to see that staff."

"You can't," choked Luna between her heavy sobs.

"I can't?"

"It won't work for you," she sniffed.

"It won't?"

"Here take it," said Luna abruptly and handed the staff over and then sagged against Justin's arms as he enveloped her. "It'll be alright Luna." He mumbled and kissed her hair.

The glittering runes faded as soon as Tonks grabbed the staff and it appeared to be no more then a plain stout ashen rod. Harry couldn't sense any magic from it at all.

"Why, won't it work, Luna?" asked Harry.

"She's not a Ravenclaw."

"It only works for Ravenclaws?" asked Hermione coming over to offer Luna her comfort. "But you showed it to me before and I was holding it."

"I-I think it was because I still had a hand on it and your hands were partially over mine," sniffed Luna. Justin was doing a remarkable job of calming her. "It's supposed to work only for Ravenclaws. However, it doesn't work the same for all."

Luna now took the staff back from Tonks and handed it to Cho who inhaled sharply, did a little jig and let out a sudden low moan: "Ai Ya! So good! Ting Hao! Mei Shuode Gou! So Good... Merlin, that's so elfing good!"

Luna ignored Cho's odd behavior and instead said: "See? Cho has access to some different runes."

Cho's version of the staff was dimmer and there were only about half as many glittering runes as when Luna had held it, but some that were lit up had not been on Luna's version.

Cho handed it back to Luna with difficulty. She was beet red with embarrassment but seemed to want to keep it. "That made me so happy!" she said. "I wanted to…well, to put it nicely, dance...that's right, dance. Rather dirtily and rather rhythmically too." She turned an even darker shade of crimson as she realized belatedly the exact implications of exactly what she had said.

"Now you know why I danced when I first touched it," said Luna brightening considerably. "That was the only way I was able to handle the staffs sexual energy. Unfortunately it only does that the first time you hold it, when it bonds with you, otherwise I wouldn't need Justin." She winked at him and even managed a weak laugh. Justin turned almost as red as Cho had.

Harry ignored this. "Is it a relic of Ravenclaw?" he asked wondering if it could be one of the Horcruxes.

"No Harry. I've been talking to it. It's a relic of Barnabes. It calls itself Quasley's Quicksilver Quarterstaff of Quiescence."

"It was the staff of Quasley Barnabes?" asked Hermione quickly making the connection.

"Yes," said Luna holding the staff now lengthwise in front of her. "It once belonged to Quasley Lowegoode-Barnabes; otherwise known as Barnabes the Barmy; he was my great times ten paternal grandfather. My father says he was even nuttier than history says and I suspect that is why Cho and I so wanted to dance and why my great times ten grandfather tried to teach the Trolls ballet. Apparently some of the charms carved into the staff have to do with dancing and romance. If Justin ever takes me to a ball we will be the life of the party. At the last she smiled weakly at her new beau.

"Do you have more access to the runes and spells because you are more closely related to Barnabes?" asked Hermione.

"I more closely related to Quasley than Cho is Hermione; but every Ravenclaw has access to some of its powers. Even though Cho has overall access to less of them, she does have access to some powers that I don't. Only a true Heir of Ravenclaw would have access to all of them."

"But I thought you said the staff was not a relic of Ravenclaw?" protested Harry.

"It isn't, but Barnabes was a Heir of Ravenclaw," said Cho having overcome her embarrassment and answering for Luna, who gave her a startled look. "What? Ravenclaw history is a new hobby of mine and the legend of Barnabes is funny. I've needed to laugh. You see, Barnabes due to his insanity never expected his line to be separated from the Ravenclaw line. The result is that although the Ravenclaw heir can use every rune on that staff, only a heir of Barnabes can bond with it.".

"Who is the Heir of Ravenclaw then?" asked Hermione.

"There isn't one as far as I know," said Luna. "My paternal great-grandfather was the Heir of Barnabes and my paternal great-grandmother the Heir of Ravenclaw. When they had children my grand-aunt Luciana Lovegood was the Heir of Ravenclaw and her brother, my grandfather Launce Lovegood the Heir of Barnabes. My Aunt Luciana was killed by Grindelwald in person and died childless. There hasn't been a Heir of Ravenclaw since. "

"So the line of the Heir of Ravenclaw has died out?" asked Hermione.

"I don't really know. It's very strange. I should be the Heir of Ravenclaw as well as the Heir of Barnabes, but I'm not. After my Aunt Luciana died, the next Heir of Ravenclaw should've been my grandfather Launce, since she had no other siblings. He would have been the first 'joint heir' since Barnabes, but he didn't inherit the powers, nor did my father."

"How come?" asked Harry.

"There are two possible reasons," said Luna. However, one is unlikely and the other far more probable. The first one is that my grandfather may have had an illegitimate daughter, if so she would have inherited as the Ravenclaw line is matrilineal. But there is no record of a heir of Ravenclaw after my great aunt Luciana."

"And the other?"

My grandfather for some unfathomable reason thought the Quibbler a disgrace to the family name. Some people believe the craziest things, don't they? Anyhow, he disinherited my father, but only after I was born. The line of Barnabas is patrilineal, and the male heirs inherit at birth."

"So if you ever have a brother, he will become the heir of Barnabes?" asked Harry.

"Yes, but that is unlikely, I don't think my father will ever remarry."

"But," asked Harry "what does this have to do with the Heir of Ravenclaw?"

"Well, she should've become both heirs when she physically matured since due to the magical nature of both lines that is the time when females inherit, but because she doesn't have all the powers of the staff she obviously didn't, "said Cho.

"Yes," said Luna. "As I said, the Ravenclaw line is matrilineal, so my father thought the magic of the Ravenclaw heir had just thought to skip a couple of generations of men and would unite with the Barnabil line within me, making me the first 'joint heir' since Barnabes, but since I didn't become the heir with I had my first period at twelve, I have to assume that when my grandfather disinherited my father and then died without having any other children that ended the line."

"That makes no sense," said Hermione. A disinheritance curse can only include property, it can't have effected heir magic, that's genetic magic and can only be effected by nature, not man."

"I know Hermione, but what else can it be. There hasn't been a Heir of Ravenclaw for more than fifty years. The line must be extinct. You should talk to my father; he's done a lot of research. He really wanted that inheritance for me. You should meet him. He likes company. He's really eager to meet you Harry. You know, he knew your parents."

There was one other possibility which Cho knew but was afraid to voice. Since Luna's grandfather had disinherited Luna's fathers line there was a possibility that the heir would revert to the next closest line.

This now worried Cho tremendously for she had discovered from a thick compendium of founders genealogy called _Heroes, Hobgoblins and Hooligans: The History of the Heirs of Hogwart's Founders which_ had a richly researched section on the Heirs of Ravenclaw; that Luna and Marietta were distant cousins and that Marietta was descended six matrilineal generations back from the oldest sister of an insane Heir of Ravenclaw, her great-grandmother was a cousin of Luna's great-grandmother three times removed; and was therefore the only daughter of the only other extant branch of the Ravenclaw line.

Of course she hadn't told Marietta. It would only upset her; but now that they had the staff she could test the theory by letting Marietta touch it. But she wasn't going to let Marietta touch it, not with the way Marietta had been acting over the last year. For giving her the staff might amount to nearly the same thing as giving a muggle mad scientist a powerful laser.

For although, it was commonly assumed in the modern age that the 'darkest house' was Slytherin; they had both found out from their research that there had been a huge number of dark ladies and a few dark lords associated with the Ravenclaw line. Many of these Ravenclaw 'eccentrics' had thought that themselves 'saviors' and had raised large armies of muggles and had let their compulsions for power drive them to dark magic. In fact, for the first seven-hundred and fifty years of Hogwartian history almost fifty percent of dark wizards and witches had been Ravenclaws, including one Lady Jane Grey. It was only in the last two-hundred and fifty years that Slytherin house had come to the forefront of the dark. Most healers and historians thought that this change was due to advances in psychiatric potions. They had certainly saved Luciana Lovegood for although a 'savior' she had not been dark.

Cho herself was on her own potion, to combat her post-Cedric depression and she knew she was not the only one on mental-potions. Su was and Marietta and Anthony too. Mental illness or just depression was common in the house; for Ravenclaw's were often subject to as one chronicler had put it --"Massive, grand maniac delusions of grandeur of a nature that tended to be thoroughly ruinous to relationships if not the countryside."

This was especially the case with the heirs. According to '_Ravenclaw: A House of Nuts?' by Rita Skeeter,_ this tendency was explained by the fact that the line of Ravenclaw was strongly inbred and had merged several time with the line of Barnabes, a line also known for insanity; although of a gentler kind . The first marriage had been when Rowena Ravenclaw's granddaughter the famous Giant-slayer Georgina Gryffindor had married Lord Lancelot Lowe-Goode of Barnby's Pass.

Marietta's increasing eccentricity had found a focus in a prophecy. She had found this in an old tome of prophecies by a Rowena Ravenclaw herself; a compendium of predictions about the acts of her descendents. One of the prophecies on the last page read:

"_The love of the lady of the moon and the soaring child of the flightless birds shall bring in the two-thousandth cycle of the light of life since the son of the source of love and life; two who shall bind all to the source and witch and wizard shall be all and none." _

Marietta was totally convinced that this prophecy meant that if Luna Lovegood and Justin Finch-Fletchley weren't stopped from— as a blushing Marietta put it 'doing the two beast shuffle' or as Cho's shameless mum would put it: 'saying hi to Shanghai' then their resulting offspring would destroy the wizarding world. Marietta was determined to stop it.

Using all her considerable gift for reason Cho had tried to talk Marietta out of her lunacy, for one thing there had not been even the slightest indication that she could see that Justin had any interest in Luna, nor visa-versa.

But, Marietta had always been suspicious of Luna and had always disliked her, and with Mary's death, her illness had turned from dislike into a dark obsession. It was as if she had blamed Luna for her mother's death instead of the Death Eaters.

Cho had discussed Marietta's folly urgently with her late at night under the covers of their hangings, while they had held each other and sobbed. She had discussed it with her while combing her friend's hair. Had often discussed it with her in the library and had even discussed it openly at the Ravenclaw table during dinner while Luna was off visiting her Gryffindor friends.

Most of Cho's housemates not realizing that Marietta took the theory seriously had made jokes about it and even worked some of it into their tormenting of poor Luna and they had even pulled related pranks on Justin just for fun. Some had even pretended to agree with Marietta.

Finally after the 'tea incident' Cho had decided to act convinced and by this somehow managed to persuade Marietta to keep quiet and to not act until she had evidence. By this, Cho had hoped to stall Marietta until after they graduated, perhaps then her friend would forget about Luna, would leave the poor girl alone and therefore wouldn't end up in the 'nut farm' known as the Dai ward.

Although her gobstones were going Greek, Marietta was still a Ravenclaw and in an effort to find the evidence for Cho, had dragged Cho into an in-depth project to research Luna's linage, their own and the lineage of all the other non-muggle-born Ravenclaws up to five generations back including her own (thankfully she had not thoroughly looked at the sixth because it included mostly muggles and squibs) and had pored over every dusty tome about the House of Ravenclaw in the Hogwart's library. With Flitwick's permission they had even looked at some from the restricted section.

Cho had found the genealogies interesting and not initially knowing anything about Luna's background other than that her father owned the Quibbler had assumed that the research would prove Marietta wrong and aid her sanity. However, everything they found had only served to convince Marietta more and more that she was right and Cho quickly had to admit that there was a distinct possibility that Luna was the Heir of Ravenclaw.

They had also studied every theory about dark lords they could find, since Marietta was convinced that prophecy meant that Luna would turn dark, or at least that her children would be.

Cho had justified this research to herself on the grounds that it would help with their own Defense against the Dark Arts skills and told herself that she might find something that could help Harry defeat Voldemort and revenge Cedric. Of course, she had never found the courage to talk to Harry again so it was a moot point.

Had Marietta been a Hufflepuff, Cho wouldn't have been half as worried about her friend. For as Cedric had proven to her that Hufflepuffs were incredibly strong and stable. In fact throughout the history of the last thousand years there had been only three verifiable but very minor Hufflepuff dark wizards or witches as opposed to more than a hundred Ravenclaws.

But Marietta was a Ravenclaw. And Cho was terrified for her. At first she had rationalized Marietta's creeping insanity as the traumatic result of seeing her mother Mary die in front of her eyes, plus all the torture curses and memory charms that Marietta had been subjected too, but since Luna wasn't the Heir of Ravenclaw than Marietta must be; so her creeping insanity was genetic. In fact, Cho now remembered that Marietta had once mentioned in passing a French aunt who had been locked up in French equivalent of the 'Dai Ward'.

Marietta definitely had the background and Cho now belatedly believed that she should have recognized the symptoms, but she had been too close and too deeply involved with her friend's problems to be objective.

There were only three possibilities regarding the Heir of Ravenclaw:

1. The Heir of Ravenclaw was non-existent due to the disinheritance.

2. The heir was Marietta.

3. Or as Luna herself had said, her great-grandfather had had an illegitimate daughter.

But if the last had been the case there should've been some magical or historical trace of a new Heir of Ravenclaw; and given the fact that a war was on at the time, someone would have tried to trace the new heir, even if only for military purposes. But there was no evidence of a new heir.

So the odds were that the heir was Marietta, the thought almost made Cho shudder.

And then there was the prophecy. For as Cho watched Justin hold Luna in his arms with love in his eyes Cho had to admit that as insane as it was the prophecy might be coming true.

Cho had laughed off the prophecy for two reasons. One-- it seemed too much like a wizarding version of a Christian apocalypse myth and Cho wasn't Christian, nor was most of the pure-blood wizarding world and two -- for more practical reasons she hadn't believed that there was a chance in the world that Justin would end up with Luna.

Maybe if the prophecy had seemed to indicate Neville, that other hero of the Department of Mysteries that Luna seemed to spend a lot of time with, then she might have believed it. But Justin?

However, Marietta had insisted that Justin had partnered Luna during the DA meetings because he liked her. But to Cho this just couldn't be, in fact both seemed to intentionally avoid each other.

She should have taken this as proof that they cared for each other. Because it was now evident that Justin was very close to loving Luna already and that Luna might yet return the favor. Of course, you didn't need love exactly to have a child, but somehow Cho thought Luna was no more likely to be that type than her, although if the prophecy had been about someone else, say Susan Bones, she might have taken the idea more seriously.

Marietta thought that the prophecy was connected to Luna since their research had shown that she was likely to be a Heir of Ravenclaw and the prophecy referred to a 'lady of the moon'. But the connection had seemed very tenuous and nebulous to Cho.

For one thing even if the phrase: 'Lady of the moon' meant that the 'lady' was named after the moon. Why did it have to be Luna? It could have meant any Ravenclaw descendent; Ravenclaw's prophecies had sometimes covered indirect descendents. For instance there had been one about an Abbot and one about a Black. So it could be anyone, any female, not someone necessarily in Ravenclaw house or even enrolled at Hogwarts. For instance it could be anyone with a 'moon name'. Say Aisha or Lawanda or Celena or Chandra or Shandra or Cynthia or Luz or Diana or Selena. And that was not even counting the Chinese one's or Padma's young cousin Deva or the poor seventh year girl hung with the horrid moniker of Nokomis Noakes.

But the bottom line was that she just couldn't imagine Luna being dark in any way; especially due to the fact that it seemed that she was not the Heir of Ravenclaw. There had been historically a couple of dark 'Lords of Barnabes' but they had been especially pathetic and comical.

It didn't matter anyway, most prophecies were pure fantasy, and this one was probably just more Hogwartian hogwash. But she had to admit that most were not as clear as this one seemed to be.

Her friend was insane, there was no denying that now; but the prophecy that had helped drive her mania seemed to have at least some thin basis in fact, and if Luna had killed Pansy it might even be true.

What exactly had the Heir of Barnabes done to Pansy? If she could help figure that out, somehow it might help solve the other mysteries.

So Cho as Anthony had asked her.

And as before she didn't know. "I don't…I didn't consciously activate any rune when I did that to her. I was just angry," said Luna as her eyes gazed over the pallid gray girl by the door. She walked over and touched Pansy's cold cheek, as her tears threatened to spill again. Justin hugged her close.

Is Parkinson truly dead, Poppy?" asked Tonks solemnly.

It was obvious that Madam Pomfrey had already examined Pansy and had reached a conclusion, but now perhaps more for the benefit of Luna than for any other reason she examined her again. She passed her wand over Pansy and hummed and recited several different incantations. After a few minutes she stepped back looking even more dejected.

"It is the same as last time, Tonks. Ever diagnostic spell I run shows the same result. She has no vital signs. She has no detectable aura, her brain activity is nil, and she has no pulse and no respiration. If she weren't still standing and if weren't also for the fact that I can't detect the start of bodily decay I would declare her dead. I've never lost a student I could save before and I don't want to say I can't save Pansy, but this is the oddest thing I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of odd injuries."

Tonks sighed. "For the moment then this is more important then what we were planning to do. However, we can't spend much time figuring this out. So it has to be figured out quickly. I don't want to arrest Luna, but if she has really killed Parkinson I don't see any option."

Luna sobbed openly now and over and over said "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Pansy. I'm sorry…"

As large tears again began to roll freely down Luna's cheeks; Hermione went over to her and took her in a fierce hug. "It'll be ok, Luna. Everything will be fine and as sure as snorkacks soon."

"But Hermione, snorkacks are only sure of shit on Saturdays at sunrise," Luna sobbed.

If it had been possible for Hermione to roll her eyes through her own tears she probably would have, but instead managed a half-laugh and only said:

"All right than, Luna. Soon everything will be as sure as Saturday sunrise Snorkack shit."

"Speaking of shit," said Angelina as she returned. "Luna has really stepped in it.  
Anthony and all four of Pansy's parents are with Professor McGonagall now. I had one of the house elves fetch them from the entrance hall."

Tonks nodded while Justin and Hermione competed in a hug Luna harder contest.

Justin was winning mostly because Luna was silently encouraging him. This had been both her best and worst day excepting the day her mother had died and she needed Justin's comfort badly. Hermione was a sometimes friend, but there was something about a boy that brought warmth.

Justin whispered as he held Luna's sobbing head to his chest. "It can't be true... it just can't... this is Luna we're talking about."

Luna looked up at him. "It was an accident Justin. I'll do what I have to do. Don't worry! I'll be strong. I'll survive Azkaban."

"No. I won't let them take you there. Whatever, you need Luna I'll give. We'll find the best wizard lawyers, Luna. My family has money. It is muggle money true, but it's still money. Whatever we need to spend to keep you out of Azkaban I'll spend. If I need to sell the estate to keep you out of there I will. I just found you and …and…"

"I'll help you too, Luna," added Harry. Every Knut of my parent's fortune is yours if needed Luna. I don't even know how much I have. I can't spend it on a better cause."

"No, Harry, No Justin! Both of you please don't worry about me. Spend what you have on the coming war. I'm not important, but the war is. I'll do what I must."

"You're my friend," said Harry sounding very sincere. "I have more than enough money for both. One thing Voldemort can't do is outspend me."

Luna stared at Harry her tears drying for a bare moment. She was amazed that Harry called her a friend. She didn't have friends. Not really. Well with the exception of Justin, she had him now but he wasn't really her friend. He was her boyfriend. SHE HAD A BOYFRIEND!

Hermione had hugged her and Ginny was her friend, most days and although he often acted confused around her Neville was a friend. And HARRY POTTER said he was her friend! The Harry Potter. She had helped him with the Quibbler story about poor Cedric's death and she had fought with him at the Department of Mysteries, but that had never been about friendship. Had it? No, she had done those things because they were right, not because Harry was her friend. She would have did it even if had hated her. HARRY POTTER was her friend.

And 4-Q that odd staff that she had found was her new friend. And she was Heir of Barnabes and Dumbledore was dead and she had seen a Blibbering Humdinger through the trees at the funeral and she had killed Pansy today. She had murdered today. How was it that they happiest day of her life was also the day she had killed. She didn't kill. She rescued. She even sometimes rescued flies from spiders. But she had killed Pansy. It was a fact. But it wasn't her fault!

Her tears gone all at once, Luna suddenly broke free of the huggers and held out the staff at arms length and then turned it to her. She glared hard at it. Then scolded and screamed at it. :

"FOUR-Q THIS IS YOUR FAULT! ALL YOUR FRA-LA-LALAOUPING FAULT! WHAT DID YOU DO? FOUR-Q WHAT DID YOU DO!"

There was a crackle of energy and a small lighting bolt leaped from Luna's chest into the staff and back again. She collapsed to the floor. They all screamed her name.

Justin and Harry were at her side in an instant, but she waived them off and climbed groggily to her feet using the staff and Harry's arm on her elbow for support. She touched her forehead with her other hand and forced a half-smile.

"Four-Q told me what it did," she announced "but I don't know what it means."

"What did it say?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"Four-Q said that it had placed Pansy in 'a state of stasis'. I think that's a muggle science word. I haven't heard it before. What is 'stasis?" Everyone turned to Hermione.

"Well, I think we have to be exact here, so…" she was about to wave her wand, but stopped. "Harry, I was going to summon a muggle dictionary, but as we are in the Room of Requirement, I think…." She held out her arms as if expecting a heavy weight.

Harry understood and closed his eyes and a moment later a hugely thick dictionary appeared in Hermione's arms. She made a slight "oomph" sound and her arms bowed at the elbows as she adjusted to the weight and carried the dictionary over to the nearest bench. With her wand she flipped it open to the definition.

"Stasis has two definitions," she said. "One -- a state of balance, equilibrium or stagnation. Two – 'stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semi-fluid."

"I don't like the second definition," said Cho. "If her fluids have stopped, then her brain hasn't been getting oxygen for over ten minutes and even if we could reverse the state Pansy would still be dead."

"So let us assume it's the first," said Harry.

"That would mean that Pansy isn't dead, just in balance?" asked Justin hopefully.

"In balance with what?" pondered Cho.

"Not her body systems," replied Madam Pomfrey. "According to my readings the last thing they are is in balance. They can't be in balance since they don't exist. Zero doesn't mean balance. Zero means nothing."

"I think we know what balance means, Hermione," said Harry. But check what equilibrium and stagnation mean."

Hermione flipped the dictionary pages again. "Equilibrium," said Hermione sounding like someone from a spelling bee. "First definition. A state of balance produced by the counteraction of two or more forces or influences in a system. Second definition. Bodily balance. Third Definition. Mental or emotional balance or poise."

"Only the first definition has promise for this situation," said Cho.

Hermione flipped through the dictionary to find stagnation. "Stagnation," said Hermione again sounding like a spelling bee champ. "The condition of being free from movement or lacking circulation."

Cho sighed. "The stagnation definition got us nowhere. I don't like the references to 'lacking circulation.' Since she doesn't have a pulse, Pansy lacks circulation. But she is free from movement." She mused. "Maybe 'Four-Q' is referring to her Qi instead of her blood."

"Qi?" asked Justin.

Cho answered: "Qi is a fundamental concept of traditional Chinese wizarding and muggle culture. We often call it 'air or breathe' but you could also call it "life force" or "spiritual or magical energy that is part of everything that exists. It flows through the body, but can be blocked or in some cases reversed."

Harry inquired: "Are you talking about acupuncture?"

"Yes, the muggle concept of acupuncture is based on Qi."

"So, it could be that her Qi is not in balance or is stagnated?" questioned Tonks.

Cho nodded.

"Is Qi similar to the concept of a magical aura?" asked Luna. She was not upset at all now. Not really anyway. She was a Ravenclaw and this was just a puzzle to solve, like those in the Quibbler, except they would probably not let her flip Pansy Parkinson upside down. Or that book of muggle crosswords Ginny had once given her for Christmas.

"Somewhat similar," answered Cho "but not exactly the same." She drew her wand and ran it over Pansy.

She sighed again. "No, it's not the Qi either. In fact she doesn't register any Qi at all; just like she didn't register any Aura."

Hermione asked "You didn't register any Qi at all?"

"None."

"That can't be."

"It can't be?"

"It can't be because you yourself said that all things have Qi. So, even dead people should…."

"Have Qi!" shouted Harry completing the sentence and vanishing the dictionary. "You're bloody brilliant Hermione!"

"So, does this mean that she's not dead?" asked Angelina.

Luna silently cheered. If Hermione were right and Pansy was ok. Luna would scream. She would throw a party and send snorkacks on parade and train wrackerspurts to wiggle; if she could find any snorkacks that is.

Cho ran her wand over Pansy again. She still did not register any Qi. "Yes, but neither is she alive. An object has to have Qi to exist, since she doesn't have Qi; she doesn't exist."

Luna's spirits sank. Cho was very good at pouring water on heliopaths.

Meanwhile, Justin was finding he was having trouble following the conversation. He knew he was not the most brilliant student in the school but he tried hard. His frustration boiled over and he shouted

"What do you mean she doesn't exist? She is standing right in front of us, what is she an illusion?"

"No Justin," said Luna patiently. If she were an illusion the staff would have told me so. Four-Q can't lie to me. It said Pansy was in stasis."

"What in bloody Hades does that mean?"

Hermione ignored that and moved them back on track by quoting the first definition of stasis for them again. "Stasis means or the definition we agreed to use is: '-- a state of balance, equilibrium or stagnation."

Harry now took that thought and mused it over. Balance…balance….balance he thought. What could Pansy be balanced between?

Well, between Life and Death was one answer. One moment she was alive, the next moment she was dead; but maybe that moment hadn't come yet. Why hadn't it come? Because she was balanced or in equilibrium. But what was the scale? What was the scale? Well, whenever it was used the staff seemed to chime. There were scales in music. So maybe that was it. Maybe she was balanced in music…in rhythm. No, that did not make any sense.

However, music had timing. Music had time. That was it. Pansy was balanced in time, caught between moments. She was not dead. She was alive! That was it. Time had been slowed, stagnated or reduced for her to a point were they could not see or register that she was alive. For her it may have only been a second or less since Luna had hit her with that staff! That was what 'stasis' meant.

Harry felt dumb. He should have known what that world meant. It had been used in exactly this sense in an old original _Star Trek_ episode re-broadcast on BBC1 that had had seen Dudley watch.

He explained his idea to his friends. "I think she is balanced in time or better said stagnated in time. Held in time."

Hermione thought this over. "That makes sense, Harry. It could be why she doesn't register either Qi or an Aura. She has them but doesn't register them because she has been frozen out of our time stream and is just in a much slower one, one that is so slow that we can't detect any fluctuations. So she doesn't exist in our time. I didn't believe there was any other way to control time except for the time turners, but…I wonder."

"Then how do we fix this?" asked Tonks."

"We figure out which rune on the staff involves time control and then Luna activates it," said Cho.

"But I don't know much about runes. I take divination remember," said Luna. She was so happy now. Pansy was alive. She wasn't going to Azkaban and she had a boyfriend; such a nice boyfriend.

"But Hermione does and I did and most of the Ravenclaw's take Ancient Runes," said Cho. "We will figure it out and then you will activate it or maybe the rune will be one of the one's I also have access too and I'll do it. The point is that Pansy will be alright, although this will take some time."

"Isn't it better to have an expert look at the staff? What house is the Ancient Runes professor from?" inquired Tonks.

Hermione answered: "Professor Babbling is from Gryffindor."

"Then I shall have to take the staff from Luna and have experts from the ministry and Bill work on it," said Tonks.

Cho sighed deeply. Her research had revealed a very disturbing fact about what she had thought was a lost staff: "You can't do that Tonks."

"Why?"

Luna looked at Cho. The Heir of Barnabes did wonder a bit through all of her sudden happiness about why Cho seemed to know so much about 4-Q. Even if Ravenclaw history were Cho's new hobby she still though that the legend of the staff was a bit obscure.

Maybe Cho was the Heir of Ravenclaw? She certainly wasn't. But that couldn't be. There would have been an instant reaction when Cho had touched the staff; much more than just the usual orgasm-like response. It wouldn't have life-bonded with the Heir of Ravenclaw; it unfortunately only did that for the Heir of Barnabes but the reaction of a Heir of Ravenclaw to her first contact with the staff was supposed to be spectacular; enough to put even that of the in season Horatio Hornblower to shame.

Luna answered: "Although any Ravenclaw; especially the Heir of Ravenclaw can use the staff it only truly bonds with the Heir of Barnabes. I'm the Heir of Barnabes."

"And that means?"

"It means that if I'm parted from Four-Q for more then an hour, I will die," said Luna serenely.

* * *

A/N **Just a quick warning. The next chapter is one of the main reasons why this story has a mature rating. So be aware**

A/N The dictionary Hermione uses is not that thick one. It comes from a Dictionary I've had around the house for close to thirty years. It is the Doubleday Dictionary: For Home, School and Office of 1975

My Chinese comes from the same source as my Latin for spells which means online translators. But what Cho says after touching the staff translates roughly as: "Oh God! Very Good! Oh God! My Fantastic Lover (You can use cruder terms here if you want, this is a mature fic. LOL!)

**The Ravenclaw/Barnabes genealogy: **Genealogies are hard to read especially in fictional form. But this explanation might help.

The first heir of Barnabes was already a Heir of Ravenclaw. It was the Heir of Barnabes that created the staff. The Heir of Barnabes (Quasley) was a rare male Heir of Ravenclaw. The title Heir of Barnabes was passed to his son Quint and the Heir of Ravenclaw was passed to a sister of his mother, in other words an Aunt. And the Heirs were separate lines for several generations but latter there was crossover as well as rampant inbreeding.

The lines combined most recently when Luna's great-grandfather (the Heir of Barnabes) married the Heir of Ravenclaw (Luna's great-grandmother) in 1907. Their children were their son Launce the Heir of Barnabes and their daughter the Luciana the Heir of Ravenclaw.

Grindelwald killed their daughter (Luna's great-aunt (her great-grandfather's sister) Luciana, who died without childen as the last apparent Heir of Ravenclaw in 1945. Their son the Heir of Barnabes fathered Luna's Father (I'll call him Xeno too in this story) who was born the Heir of Barnabes in 1947, who passed this on to Luna when she matured in 1994.

Girls have to be physically mature to inherit either title while boys inherit upon birth. A heir of Ravenclaw doesn't give up her title as long as she/he lives or upon the maturity of a daughter whichever comes first. If he/she dies without a daughter the oldest son inherits (as he would also temporarily if his mother died and a younger sister was not yet mature). The Heir of Barnabes goes to the oldest son or if no son a daughter if mature. It can be held temporarily by another male relative until the maturation of a daughter if the Heir only had immature daughters. Either Heir can also pass to their own brothers or sisters or back a generation or so if there are no issue or surviving male heirs or surviving mature females (as happened when Barnabes passed the title of Heir of Ravenclaw to his aunt (his mothers sister) .

For instance since Luna's great aunt died apparently without children or sisters the Heir of Ravenclaw which usually passes through the female line defaulted in that rare case to her brother, and then should've passed to her brothers son, and then on to Luna. But it didn't.

As Cho discovered Marietta is related to Luna's great-grandmother (her great-grandmother is a cousin of Marietta great –grandmother three times removed, and is thus one possible Heir of Ravenclaw.


	9. Chapters 18 & 19

**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart **  
**Chapter 19: Hogwarts in the Moonlight****  
****by Ydnas Odell **

_

* * *

__Quote: "And love the offender, yet detest the offence." _

_Atribution: Alexander Pope _

_Source: Eloisa to Abelard, line 192._

* * *

Draco Malfoy stood on the northeast shore of St. James Park Lake near the Horse Grounds Parade bouncing a stone in his hand. With a sigh he flung it with a lazy twist; and watched it arc high up into the air and come down with a _kersplash _right next to a mandarin duck; which quacked and took sudden flight leaving a contrail of lofty orange feathers. Draco skipped another stone and with a great agitated honk a swan fled. Another and a pair of pelicans mounted the sky. Yet again and an angry goose departed.

"Draco," said an annoyed Marcus Flint who was seated behind Draco on a bench, "stop frightening the flock! If you chase all the birds away, I won't have any to feed and you'll blow our cover."

Flint had a muggle broadsheet called the _London Times _folded on his lap and a loaf of white bread beside him and he was pretending to read the paper while casually feeding a somewhat diminished gaggle of geese, raft of ducks and other fowl.

Like Draco, Marcus was dressed in a muggle pair of black jeans, black trainers and a black T-Shirt. The T-Shirts had been procured by a Death Eater with a sense of humor and were from supposed obscure muggle bands. Draco's T-shirt represented a band called _Avada Kedavra _and Marcus Flint's 'T' said _Mega Death Eaters_. Their brooms were lying against nearby trees and had been transfigured into a garden broom and a rake.

"I can't believe that this is Snape's master plan;" said Draco with a disgusted sneer. "Feed the birds and wait for the signal he says. What a genius he is. A real birdbrain. I tell you Flint, this entire plan is for the birds."

"Just be patient, Draco I know it's been an hour, but the signal will come. Snape is just waiting for the right time, for everything to develop, like a high-isosceles chaser he's just waiting for the keeper to be out of position before he strikes."

Draco ignored him. And skipped another stone. Flint was annoying, for him everything: girls, dinner, battle, sex, even arithimancy homework could be explained with a Quidditch metaphor.

He had once said in all seriousness: "Witches are like Quidditch hoops, Draco, even when you have a threesome you can only score in one at a time."

But Draco was bone tired and too frightened to think about a mere game now. He had slept for only about an hour and a half before departing on this mission.

It had been a long day and it was guaranteed to get longer. He was about to risk his life for a cause; for a cause that he knew had to be achieved no matter what the cost, or horror. A dark world that continued was better then no world at all, which was the alternative if the muggle-born prevailed.

As he bent to pick up yet another stone, he paused to look in the direction of the Queens Victoria Memorial and admire the sinking rosy red sun as it set over Buckingham Palace behind it. The white Portland marble of the palace was tinged a vivid pink.

Yesterday when the sun had set, Dumbledore had been alive. Now, everything had changed. But the sun still set. And the palace was pink.

Pink. He'd always associated pink with Pansy. That and purple were her two favorites colors. Pansy had worn a frilly pink dress to the Yule Ball during their fourth year. He had thought she had looked rather pretty in pink.

Pansy. Pink or not, he had to get Pansy out of his mind. She might be lost to him forever. He had no idea if she had received his letter and even if she had; he had been foolish to send it.

But since he had sent it, the Dark Lord had made threats against her and she was still in danger from Potter and the Ministry. She had to be sensible and come openly to the side of the Dark Lord soon, or else she would be killed. He had to find some way to convince her. It was the only way to ensure her safety.

He stared at the pink palace and grudgingly gave the muggle architects credit. It was impossible not to be impressed by Buckingham. Its stately beauty was appropriately regal and it reflected through the lake the true power, majesty and spectacle of the muggle throne, but it was not Hogwarts.

No, Buckingham might be a palace, but in the end it was just a place, while Hogwarts was a world of its own. Buckingham in its reflected glory was magnificent, but no muggle could ever say he had seen true beauty until he had seen Hogwarts. He almost felt sad that none of them could.

He would never forget his first view of Hogwarts in the moonlight, that moment -- the glazed alabaster smoothness of finely quarried stone reflecting glorious golden-white light, a glow as alive as veelas dancing nude on moonbeams, the carved life-like perfection of its statutory, towers that seemed with their horizontal stiffness to go up and up from their base to soar over perilous lake-shore cliff until Draco could only imagine that they held up the ceiling of a giant's starry heaven, a heaven that radiated silvery beauty and the silhouetted form of a body moving above him as if eclipsing the moon. Urgently, but softly.

Pansy her body Diana, blocking the divine light, a shadow of desire, dark, light, lunacy, water lapping, hips rising, falling, crying out, a pair of entwined hearts beating like thunder, her rump pumping, her gasps the only thing real. A searing ecstasy that seemed to echo off those alabaster walls, or was it Pansy's alabaster skin. At the peak endless light, Pansy and Hogwarts both bathed, indistinguishable. Forever.

It had happened this year, early spring, after midnight one night when he had risked a break from his project and had snuck Pansy out and they had stolen one of Hagrid's boats and Draco had rowed them out across the lake to the small grassy island in the middle with but two withered old beech trees, and under these they had spread out a blanket, a basket and picnic dinner. And so he had fed his queen grapes, alpine cheese, biscuits and centuries old elf-made mead from the cellar of Malfoy Manor that he nipped when his father was out of town.

And afterwards beneath the glory of Hogwarts, the soft hoots of owls and the gentle lap-lap of the lake water as it broke against the shore he had made love to her for the first time. And despite his ever-present fear, he had felt wholly content.

But later as they had cuddled on their sides she had run her finger along the dark mark examining it closely with a look of disappointment in her eyes and had hissed softly: "So, you're one of his?"

"Yes." He had been full of dread. She couldn't ask him to choose. Not yet, he needed her. He had things to do.

"But all she had said was: "It's not wise, Draco," and kissed him lightly while he murmured: "It's what I must do."

She had kissed him again and said: "I know. But I won't follow you Draco, I won't do it too."

He had sat up and blurted: "You won't?" And Pansy had half-turned from him, and crossed her arms over her chest, and with downcast eyes said: "Draco, I won't! I can't take his mark!"

He had tired to drape an arm over her shoulder but she had shrugged it away: "I can't!"

He had then taken her chin in his hand gently forcing her to look at him:

"But you must. If you don't! ...You know why you have to do this, Pansy and besides it's just!"

She had taken his hand from her chin and squeezed it in hers and said: "The cause may be just, Draco...but not the methods." And then her eyes had lowered again. "Draco. I will not kill." She had then started to get dressed; searching around the blanket for her green lace panties.

This had left him almost in a state of shock. He had thought that Pansy was a good Slytherin, who understood that in a state of war unpleasant things needed to be done. He had understood that sometimes the girl could be too dense for her own good, he had never been interested in her for her common sense and he loved her more for her bum then her brain, but this was beyond stupidity and given the situation bordered on insanity. If she didn't do what the Dark Lord commanded, he would lose her, so he tried to persuade her.

"Look, Pansy be reasonable," he had said. "We don't have the time to be gentle with the mudbloods. We can't wait. The mudbloods take and take and like the Muggles they never replenish but only pollute. You know what Zabini says and he is the most sensitive Slytherin of all. Pansy, the flow is weaning. Once, in the time of Slytherin it was a mighty roaring river, even in the time of Grindelwald it was a boisterous brook, but now it only a tepid creek and soon it will be only a tiny trickle. Pansy, the source is going dry. We have to stop the mudbloods and Potter or..."

Pansy had shuddered at that name. "Potter is evil, but so is your master."

For a moment he hadn't know what to say to that but then relied. "Yes, he is. He uses tough methods. Whatever he is, he is not a nice person and he will be a dictator, but what choice do we have? To worry about your rights when your life is at stake is a philosophy that will leave you dead. Flower, if Potter wins we can't live."

"But, we don't have to kill to win!" Pansy had replied: "We can round up the mudbloods and put them in concentration camps as Professor Binns says the muggles did during their Boer War. We can stop them from coming to Hogwarts. And then we can find a way to drain the mudbloods and recycle their energy back to the source. There has to be a way Draco! There has to be a humane way!"

And he had said: "Even if there were Pansy, there isn't enough time…we can't be nice."

She had teared-up and placed a palm on his naked hairless chest. "Draco, I care for you…but if you kill…I-I care too much to hate you, but I couldn't love you."

He had then taken that hand in his own: "Pansy?!"

She had looked at him longingly, her eyes pleading: "Draco, Promise me…promise me that you won't kill!"

But he couldn't. She wasn't reasonable, so again he had tried to explain:

"Pansy….I've got to do this. We are the last generation that can. If not our grandchildren--"

And she had said: "I don't care about our grandchildren. I care only about you Draco, only you! If you tear your soul asunder what part of it will go to Heaven and what part will go to Hell? Maybe all of it will go to Hell or half to each, which do you think is worse?"

There that had been and was the crux of the problem. Pansy was that rare thing called a Christian witch; a bonafide fully magical member of the Church of Scotland. This was about as rare as a squib that suddenly developed magical powers and it had caused him endless problems. She had some rather bizarre notions and beliefs. One was eternal damnation.

"Pansy," he had said: "I'm a Death Eater now; it's sort of my business to kill."

Tears had begun to streak her pretty face, and she said: "Draco, then I hope you go to Hell all in one piece." And then she turned from him to step into her panties and gather up the rest of her things, but he had grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her back to him. "I'll never go to Hell Pansy no matter what I do. There is no hell!"

She had glared at him angrily her black hair and scowling pug face glowing in the moonlight. "Damn you Pansy," he had said "even Loony Lovegood doesn't believe in Hell!"

Then she had turned her back on him and started to put back on her bra. It had not been a bad sight, he loved her bum. But he had started in on her again.

"Pansy, if hell exists, why can't we summon demons? He had asked. "Why can't the Dark Lord just summon a demon and send it to Potter to tear him to pieces. And how come the only demons that exist are weak things like the Nogtail or the Pogrebin?"

But she had replied by mentioning the Kelpie in Loch Ness. He had scoffed at that by saying: "Pansy, you really think the Loch Ness Monster is a minion of Satan?"

"Well, no..." she had admitted. "But Draco….promise me you won't kill!"

He had turned his own back on her now, partially so she wouldn't see the tears that threatened to flow. "I can't. Pansy I'm a soldier. And this is a war we must win; there has never been a war more desperate!"

But all she had said, sadly and plainly was: "Draco, I can't be or sleep with someone who will kill, even if I love them with all my heart."

Stunned all he had said was: "You love me?"

"You, know I do sweet... you're all I have and want…but if…"

"Pansy you can't ask me to make that choice," he had answered. "You can't ask me to choose between my family and you…because you're my heart…but my country…my family needs me, and you need me too. You need me to fight for you, to fight for our future, our future, what good is a world without magic?"

"But can't you see Draco, my love. My dragon. All I want is you, the only magic I need is your love. I don't care if the world goes to Hell, as long as you don't."

But life was too complicated for love to be the answer to everything. No, it was a powerful force no doubt, but only the naïve believed it was the most powerful. In fact it could be a great weakness.

Pansy was far to naïve. She just didn't understand. Especially now that he had failed to kill Dumbledore; the Dark Lord just wouldn't tolerate another failure, his first had already resulted in his mother's torture. He had made his choice long ago and no longer had an option. But Pansy didn't understand this, she was still under the scary delusion the he, that _she had a choice_.

But he did not tell Pansy that. No, for reasons both shallow and grand, because he loved her and because he was horny and because he needed her by his side for as long as he could manage and because he didn't want to disappoint her right then and there, he had lied.

"I love you, Pansy;" he had said staring her firmly in the eyes. "I love you, my flower, so I won't kill. I don't know how, I'll still fight, but I won't kill Pansy, not even Potter. I promise you I won't kill," he had said and then had firmly pulled her into his arms and kissed her.

And perhaps because her heart wanted to believe him, or perhaps because she was even hornier then him, or perhaps just because his love was just not that bright, she had pulled him down to the ground and they had proceeded to have a sweet and vigorous shag. One during which she had screamed his name over and over into the peerless night and one that had thoroughly convinced him, that hell or not, Pansy was proof enough of heaven.

But later, deep into the throes of their third and best lovemaking of the night, while he tried to screw the 'hell' out of her, while she was crying out and urging him on, while her fingernails scrapped his back with the unquenchable fire of her desire, he'd reached across to message her right breast and his dark mark had accidentally came into contact with the crucifix that hung on a golden chain over her heart. She had not removed it and it had excited him to see it dance and move with her increasing passion, but as soon as it touched his mark it set off a searing pain many times worse than when the Dark Lord had first summoned him.

He had screamed in agony and rolled off her, the sex forgotten and the mood gone. Smoke had risen from the mark as if it he had been burned by acid and despite the healing spell Pansy had immediately cast, the flesh under the mark was still sore and pink even now, months later.

Pansy had apologized for forgetting to remove the cursed thing (It was cursed, wasn't it? She had never confirmed that.); but then they had begun to fight fiercely again.

Pansy just did not want him to be a Death Eater. She loved him, she told him she would support him in most things he did and she even wanted to help her with his project. But he would not let her help; because he could not endanger her and he could not tell her about his plans; could not admit that he had lied and was still planning to kill.

So they ended that night shouting in anger, instead of screaming in passion and he had rowed and walked her back to the common room in silence. They made up the next day, but even now they were not as close as they could be because the Dark Lord stood between them.

And when finally it had come time to finish Dumbledore; when he had his chance to kill, he couldn't do it. But, it had not been the headmaster that had talked him out of it, despite his offers of protection. If Draco's only motivation had been fear it might have worked, but Dumbledore just did not understand that Draco had other motivations too.

He never would have come to the old man's side. The old man just didn't understand what was at stake. He didn't understand what Draco fought for. Dumbledore just didn't understand that he was wrong.

But despite the urgency of the task, Draco couldn't kill Dumbledore; couldn't kill the man who stood at the door of doom. Could not split his soul to help save the world; couldn't betray the promise to Pansy.

He had thought that what he had told her was a lie, but when it became the time to act, he couldn't do it. Couldn't break a promise to the one he loved; couldn't do it even to save his parents; couldn't do it even to save himself; couldn't break the promise even to save her.

So Draco had failed and Snape had killed Dumbledore and they had fled into the night and The Dark Lord was right; his love for Pansy was not a great strength but a glaring weakness and his enemies would use her against him. He had to do something and he had to do it soon.

He skipped another stone, completely missing all the birds, but the next stone hit a random goose directly on the head. With an indigent squawk it flew off and landed just behind Marcus.

His eyes followed the flight of the bird and he turned to his friend. "Where is the freaking signal?"

"Give him time Draco," said Marcus. "It will come."

Draco turned away and tossed another stone. It landed with a _Kersplash! _

_With a sigh he said:__ "__I have a feeling hell might freeze over first!" _

_--_

****

**Harry Potter & The Choices of the Heart**

by DA Jones

**Chapter 19**

**Percy & Leanne**

* * *

_Quotation: It is better to decide a difference between enemies than friends, for one of our friends will certainly become an enemy and one of our enemies a friend._

_Source: Bias of Priene one of Seven great sages (566 B.C.)_

* * *

Ginny Weasley sat and stared out the train window while twirling her wand and fidgeting. In the background was the dark vivid living green of the forbidden forest set against an orange sky nearing twilight; but in the foreground, on the platform a flood of angry people were surging around Flitwick and her brother Percy.

Percy was arguing boisterously with the tiny Professor, waving his arms and apparently shouting over the din as Flitwick vigorously shook his head. Scrimgeour was nowhere to be seen.

Katie was right thought Ginny. Harry was taking to long. It had been three-quarters of an hour since Harry and the others had gone back to the castle to investigate what had happened to Pansy. If Harry did not get back soon, even this long summer day would not prevent them from arriving at King's Cross in the dark. The Death Eater's liked the dark and besides if they did not leave soon, the wizards might rip themselves apart without any Death Eater help.

Ginny was worried about both Harry and Luna. And Luna, as she had told Lavender no matter how loony was her dear friend. Maybe not her best friend, that would always be Harry, but certainly a friend. That was something she should have realized and acted on long ago.

True, she had always defended Luna and her loony ways, and often was the only one willing to take her as a partner during class; and had never shunned her, but often she would find excuses to keep her distance.

She cringed when she remembered the time in February of her third year, when Luna had corned her in the Great Hall and asked Ginny to go with her to the next Hogsmeade Weekend; as no else wanted to go with her and she did not want to go alone. Michael Corner had saved her from that trap by boldly telling Luna that they already had a date set for Hogsmeade. This had been glorious news to Ginny (she had wondered whether Michael would have the courage to ask her.).

Luna had probably spent all that weekend alone in her dorm curled up with the Quibbler. She had always seemed so quiet and lonely during her first three years, and had only really began to change once she had properly meet Harry and Ron on the train before their fourth year.

She supposed that all that time Luna might have been in mourning for her mother, but having friends had finally opened up Luna and make her less shy. But still she felt guilty for not really being Luna's friend before that time; after all she had known Luna all her life; as the Lovegoods were the closest wizarding family to the burrow and Luna had been so nice.

Although even as a little girl Luna had often left her bemused, playing dolls with her had always been a riot as Luna had the most imaginative and intricate ideas and she didn't just settle for tea parties; the dolls were often sent on Snorkack safaris. She didn't ever remember fighting with Luna, not over a toy, and not over anything really, although Luna was rather sensitive about throwing the gnomes over the garden walls.

One of Ginny's recurring nightmares was about Luna. When she wasn't dreaming about Tom she often woke shaking at the memory of Luna's incoherent, blistered and tear streaked face in the fireplace screaming that her mum was dead.

Ginny had formed paper dolls into a conga line and had set them dancing near the flames, when there was a sudden green flash and an airy scream for help.

Reacting instinctively Ginny had reached through the fire and pulled the trembling and sobbing girl into the burrow and held her while she flailed and kicked.

Hearing Luna's cries Ginny's mother and Bill had come running and Bill had flooed to Luna's home immediately, but there was nothing anyone could do. Luna's mother had died instantly and there was nothing to be done but clean up Luna and wait for the poor girl's father, who had been off in Albania investigating rumors about the dark lord for the Quibbler and couldn't apparate all that distance in one jump.

Ministry officials had shown up quickly and did nothing but badger the girl for details despite Ms. Weasley's best efforts to protect her. Perhaps all that badgering had harmed Luna because the already odd girl had become extremely withdrawn and had grown odder and had spent most of the next few years avoiding Ginny, so that their playmate friendship had started to wither.

Which in a way was good because the sad fact was that for Ginny to have been seen as Luna's friend before the Department of Mysteries would have ruined her.

The Department of Mysteries had made both Luna and Neville minor heroes and lessened the risk of being ostracized for being friendly with them, but Luna (despite all the autographed Quibbler's she gave out) was still considered weird and Ginny had never been as noble as Harry and besides Harry could take the risk. He could have dated Luna and it would not have changed his popularity at all because he was Harry the celebrity.

She swore to herself that now that would change and that she would be the friend Luna deserved. It was nice that Luna had a boyfriend now. But Justin? Only a strange fisherwoman like Luna could fish that fish from the sea.

Meanwhile, in the hospital wing Michael Corner and Bill Weasley continued their discussion.

"Michael, if your friend Marietta is not a Death Eater, why would she try to kill Luna Lovegood?" asked Bill.

"She has never liked Luna much, but she didn't hate her, not enough to kill her, but lately….Marietta has been acting very odd ever since Easter."

"Could she have been acting under the influence of an Imperio?"

"I don't think so, but anything's possible."

"Michael I want to examine your friend more closely, but I need to you to lift the petrifaction spell you placed on her."

"Why?"

"She needs to be able to talk so she can answer my questions."

"I don't think that is a good idea….shouldn't we wait for Madam Pomfrey to return?"

"No, need. Madam Pomfrey is a healer, but she doesn't know much about curses. If your friend has been cursed then it might mean others are in danger. I need to find out if Marietta has been placed under an Imperio curse quickly and then try to trace the caster from his signature. If she has been under the Imperio curse, Death Eaters might be on the grounds. We need to do this quickly."

"I don't think it is a good idea," said Michael again, staring intently at Marietta. Marietta was under no one's control. Not even her own he thought. But he lifted the spell.

On the train using the audiowyrms the DA had continued to debate about Pansy. Dean was of the firm opinion that Pansy was a Death Eater, but Terry wasn't so sure.

"Dean, I don't think she was," said Terry softly. "I just don't see how Anthony's sister could be a death eater."

"Terry, she could, if she were Pansy," said Dean sarcastically.

"Dean, don't talk about the dead badly," scolded Lavender. "Pansy my have been Draco's girlfriend, but that doesn't mean……she could be nice you know…sometimes…. Parvati used to tell me about how Pansy would come over to visit her and Padma before Hogwarts. Pansy was their friend when they were little. "

Lavender was refusing to talk to Ron, but she hadn't given up being opinionated about everything else, though Ginny had to admit there did seem to be a new edge to her words.

"Lavender, no Gryffindor can be friends with a Slytherin!"

"Ginny, of course they can," said Katie interrupting the conversation.

Ginny knew that Inter-house hatred was a pet peeve of Katie's. With the exception of Malfoy, Katie was not in favor of it. She had spent her entire-seven years trying in small quiet ways to overcome some of the antagonism between Gryffindor and Slytherin so that she could stay friends with her best friend from childhood Leanne Lane. She hadn't been very successful. Ginny knew that often the only time Katie and Leanne could be friendly was during Hogsmeade weekends; which was why Leanne had been there when Katie had been cursed by the necklace.

Katie and Ginny's budding non-Quidditch friendship had suffered because of the necklace incident. For a very short time a few of the Gryffindors including Ginny had thought that Leanne might even be responsible for it, but the trio had quickly set them right. But the main thing was that Ginny hadn't visited Katie at all or even written to her.

Katie wouldn't accept that this had been because Ginny had been totally distracted by Harry. And she was right of course. Her friend had almost died and Ginny had ignored her, while Leanne had managed to visit Katie often and had written to her nearly ever day. If Ginny had just sent one letter.

But now their relationship was strained. Not that it mattered. Katie was leaving school as soon as she was off this train and she would be done with Hogwarts and it was not likely that Ginny would ever see her again.

Which was sad for Ginny liked Katie. Katie was a strong person. The way she had played in that last Quidditch game after her recovery from the cursed necklace was remarkable. There was still even now if people looked hard a bit of pallor about Katie. She was not a hundred percent.

But she was alive and they had Snape to thank for it. It was strange to think that the man, who had saved her fellow chasers life, was also the man who had killed Dumbledore. It must be an even stranger thought for Katie, thought Ginny for Katie had gone on afterwards, while Hermione scoffed about how relatively kind Snape had been to her.

Katie continued: "…I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Slytherins are no more prone to evil than Gryffindors. Look at Peter Pettigrew. You've meet Leanne; she's just like your friend Tonks!"

Leanne was not a bit like Tonks. For one thing Leanne was graceful and arrogant and Tonks was not.

"Katie, but Leanne is a member of Pansy's gang!"

"Ginny, I know that, but that doesn't mark her as evil any more than sitting in the library marks you as a Ravenclaw."

In a fit of anger of perhaps fear filled frustration Ginny was about to call Katie a traitor, but she held her tongue. Katie had never been anything but a loyal Gryffindor and if Katie had not listed to Oliver or Angelina about Leanne she was not going to listen to her.

And Ginny had to admit that Leanne was a bit different then most of the Slytherins. Oh, Leanne was ambitious, a first rate gossip and not against manipulating people for her own ends, but Ginny had never heard her call anyone a mudblood and she had once seen her come to the defense of Colin Creevey when Crabbe was picking on him and Pansy was not around. Perhaps she was no worse then a female Slughorn.

Tonks was ok and a Slytherin, maybe Leanne was another. She decided that she should be willing to give the Slytherins a chance, not much of one. Only a tiny bit. But a chance before blowing their heads off. Just because Draco and Voldemort were Slytherins didn't mean that all of them were Death Eaters.

However, Pansy was involved with Draco and Draco was a Death Eater. Dean was right. Pansy probably was a death eater.

But Luna apparently had taken care of that. Pansy was an enemy. You did not mourn enemies, not when you were at war. Accident or not Pansy had deserved what she had got.

Ginny did not think Luna capable of killing, but the Wizarding world might not see it that way. Accident or not Luna might be in serious trouble.

Then Dean's voice came over the audiowyrm very seriously. "Ginny, has anyone ever checked Tonks for the dark mark?"

"Dean, she's an Auror. I'm sure she's been checked for the mark," said Ginny  
somewhat sarcastically. But in secret she wondered if she had been. It would be just like the Ministry and the Order to balls-up something up like that. But there was no way Tonks was a Death Easter, even if she was a Slytherin. Was there?

No, if she were, Lupin would have reported it, wouldn't he? Unless Lupin was a Death Eater too. Could they trust Lupin? Did they really know Lupin? After all he was a werewolf and werewolves were dark creatures.

No, she would stop this now. This sort of paranoid, questioning of everyone and everything could only go so far; or soon she would be questioning Hermione's loyalty. She knew Tonks, she trusted Tonks. Tonks was a friend and not a death eater and that was that.

Ginny looked out the window again. Ignoring the fact that her wand hand had started shaking. Percy was still arguing with Flitwick, but the crowd had grown larger. She saw a few of the muggles toss rocks.

Suddenly a tall and thick looking muggle man with a beret punched an Auror with a scarlet robe and a ponytail and sent him sprawling. A female Auror with an eye-patch and a long plait of brown hair reacted instantly and sent a stunner at the man. He collapsed.

But the crowd of mixed wizards, witches squibs and muggles reacted instantly and surged over the defensive wall of Aurors and the pocket of petty bureaucrats in the center of which Percy and Flitwick were standing collapsed.

Percy was going to be crushed! Someone had to help him.

She spun from her seat and already running called into the Audiowyrm:

"Ron! Fred, George -- Percy's in trouble!"

--

A/n So what do you think? The purpose of this chapter was to introduce more back story and set things up for what is about to come. What do you think about Leanne?  
About my take on Ginny and Luna's relationship. Is Michael right to be wary about releasing Marietta?

Please leave me a review as they help me to get better, even critical ones. Actually especially critical ones.


	10. Chapter 20 to 22

_**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart**_**  
****_by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones_**

**_Chapter 20: Kodikas Galonos!_**

_  
__Quote: First we attacked the Russian soldiers with our gases, and then when we saw the poor fellows lying there, dying slowly, we tried to make breathing easier for them by using our own life-saving devices on them._

_Attribution: Otto Hahn. German Poison Gas Scientist WWI_

Michael Corner stumbled back clawing at the white stone handle of the black dagger that protruded from between his ribs. His flowing blood seeped between his fingers. The pain was horrid, but he couldn't draw breathe to scream.

"Marietta…" he managed to whimper as he fell into her chest. She staggered against the unexpected weight, but wrapped her arms tight around him, almost as if in a lovers embrace and then lowered him, after nearly tripping over the body of the stunned Bill to the ground with a careful clumsiness . Placing him on his side. A ton of stone was pressing down on his chest, the pain was awful.

She kneeled next to him, touching his hair. "I'm sorry Micheal, but I couldn't let you stop me." Soft tears were glistening in her hard mad eyes.

He couldn't breathe. Oh, Merlin, he couldn't expand his chest. Now her hands were on his breastbone ripping aside his robes and prying at the leaking wound with her wand and fingers.

"Merlin, I'm sorry," she whispered. Coolly grasping the handle of the dagger she pried it out in one jerk. The searing, twisting, and tearing agony was unbearable. If drawing breathe were possible he would have screamed, but instead he vomited up blood. She wiped the blade on a sheet and put it away and then took his wand.

He started to choke on and aspirate the vomit, but Marietta knelt and quickly said: _"Apaneo!"_ and for just a brief moment his airway cleared and he was able to get one long gasp of air before it closed off again. Marietta tried the spell again, but this time it had less effect.

He was dying. Suffocating. In his mind if not his lungs he screamed for his mother, for his aunt and for Cho. He spit up blood again. He couldn't breathe, he was dying. Oh God, he was dying.

_"Apaneo!"_ said Marietta. "_Apaneo!" "Episkey!" Apaneo!" "Amplus Aeris!" "Apaneo!" "Spirtus Maximus!" Apaneo!"_ None of them did any good.

She was trying everything for him, but he still couldn't inhale. He was turning blue. No matter what she did he still gagged, gasped and wheezed.

He was dying. Oh, Merlin, Marietta had killed him. One of his best friends had killed him. A tear-streaked Marietta knelt next to him, took his wand and then retrieved a a pillow from one of the beds and placed into under his head.

She held his hand while he suffered rocking on her heels and saying: "I'm sorry," over and over again. It was so hard to move his chest. His stomach moved in and out like a broken bellows. It was cramping, and was of little use in moving the enormous weight. He was going to asphyxiate.

Michael looked through his narrowing circle of vision at Marietta.

Her expression was full of despair. "I can ease your pain Michael, but I don't know the counter curse, and I can't stay."

* * *

Meanwhile, Harry was hurrying with the others to the hospital wing. Tonks, Cho and Madam Pomfrey led the way while Harry and Hermione followed behind, floating Pansy on a stretcher. Luna who looked as serene as usual, held her staff with a stone handed left hand grip and Justin's hand loosely in her right. They were swinging there hands as they walked just ahead of Harry. Justin face was a confusing mixture of rapture and worry. Luna's wand was as always tucked behind her ear.

Angelina had been sent to find Professor McGonagall and update Pansy's parents and Anthony.

Tonks wanted to talk to Bill about Pansy's situation and Luna's staff before sending Pansy and Luna on to St. Mungo's through an emergency use of the floo network. Madam Pomfrey would also examine Marietta and probably send her after; since neither Cho nor Luna seemed willing to file charges.

Harry didn't blame Justin for looking for being worried. Luna's last statement had been horrifying.

_"It means that if I'm parted from Four-Q for more then an hour I will die,"_ she had said, as if the it didn't matter at all. But the staff _was cursed._

For as long as she lived Luna would need to have it near. If Hogwarts opened next year and the Ravenclaw's continued their nasty tradition of hiding Luna's stuff and took the staff they might accidentally kill her.

Normal life would be difficult. How could she ride a broom holding the staff; how could she sleep? How would she make love?

The last thought bought images and a warm blush to his cheeks. He had never thought of Luna in that way. Yet, today he did not seem able to stop.

Why? It was wrong. He had Ginny and now Luna had Justin and Ginny was all he needed. And now unbidden thoughts of Ginny creped into his mind deeping his blush. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. If he could not defeat his own hormones, how could he defeat Voldemort?

From now on Luna's survival depended on a strong grip. True, Luna had given the staff a whimsical name and seemed to think it a privilege to have, but so far it had caused nothing but misery. It had frozen Pansy into an alternate time frame and Marietta's attack on Luna had to be related to it.

Why hadn't Luna listened to Tonks and left it? The problem with Luna was that she was to free a spirit and often acted on every crazy whim. If you did that during a muggle war you were likely to step on a landmine. Was Four-Q the magical equivalent? He decided that between all the horocrux hunting and Voldemort slaying he would have to find someway to free the sweet and foolish girl from her curse.

* * *

Michael coughed hard once and Marietta wiped bloody spittle from the corner of his mouth with the sleeve of her robe and gently waved her wand over his chest and whispered: "_Redigo Patientia_." The pain largely lifted but not the stiffness or the crushing weight.

She placed his head on her lap, tilting his neck to ease his airway. "If you want I can help you to let go," she murmured, "but you need to live. Oh, Merlin. Mike, Cho needs you."

She held him for several long minutes as he rattled and wheezed.

"_Apaneo!_ Keep breathing, Michael. You have the strength. I know you do. You saved me, you saved us the night my mo'…my mum died. …Please, don't die. I…I didn't want to kill you. Please, just keep breathing."

But his breathing was becoming very shallow, rapid and irregular, his vision blurry around the edges and his thoughts fuzzy. He was shuddering now for air.

"_Apaneo! Apaneo!"_

Again it worked for a moment. He fell back, sucked in air. She grasped his hand even tighter.

"Michael, Cho and the others will be here any minute…you can hold on for them. For Cho Mike."

He was wracked with another coughing fit, and sat up to spit out more blood. It coated his teeth and tongue. She wiped some of it away.

"If you love Cho stay with her, stay with her for me. Hold on. She needs you. She can't lose you too… She thinks she's lost me, but I can't be here. I can't be with her. I have things to do alone. You need to stay for her, to keep her safe. I love you both so…so very much."

Suddenly the weight increased threefold pinning him to the ground, the stiffness impossible. Marietta's image collapsed into darkness like wet sand down a drain.

He arched and gasped and his vision flared back with an unbearable burst of brightness. In the center Cho's face hovered over him with angelic grace.

But, she looked so sad.

Marietta was right, if he died, it would break Cho. He had to fight. He wasn't supposed to die now. This had nothing to do with the war. If he was going to die young, he had supposed it would be during the war. He should have died in glory, in battle for those he loved. It should have been for Cho or Harry. Not at the hands of Marietta.

This wasn't fair. It wasn't right. All he had to do was breathe. He couldn't. F-ing Marietta.

As his body sagged back against Marietta, a last all too feeble wheeze of air escaped his lips and he shaped them into a low whisper:

"Cho, I love you."

Marietta shook him. "MIKE! Michael! No!"

He couldn't be dead. Merlin, he just couldn't be. She felt for a pulse. He had no pulse. He wasn't breathing! Michael!" She used Michael's own wand to try Rennervate.

Suddenly a disembodied voice shouted from above:

**"Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galanos! All professors and staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos..."**

She didn't want to leave him. She didn't want to leave her friend to die alone, but that alarm would bring Madam Pomfey and the Aurors running. She couldn't be here when they showed-up. Her mission was too important.

She prayed that Madam Pomfrey would be able to save Michael.

Ashen faced she paused to also gather Bill's wand from the floor and then pushed open the double doors and left the ward. She could hear the sound of frantic running feet drawing near.

* * *

**Chapter 21: Ron and the Riot**

_Quote: Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a  
tribe, and call it a family. Whatever you call it,  
whoever you are, you need one._

Attribution: - Jane Howard (1935-1996)

A half-whoozy Percy Weasley pushed his way out of a pile and rolled to his feet, spitting out teeth, dirt and dust. He seemed to have bruises throughout his body and someone had stepped on his wand snapping it in two, while someone else had ripped a large whole in his ministry issued robes right over his bum.

The riot had moved far past the rumor stage. Curses and insults were flying everywhere, while young children and most muggles scrambled for cover. Percy thought that rioting was improper. Order was precious. Disorder was chaos. And this particular sort of disorder was beneath the wizarding community and didn't show the proper respect for governmental authority. Furthermore, there was no reason for the public to panic just because a certain chosen-one was taking his sweet time boarding the train.

Minister Scimgeour was fully capable of teaching that ruffian who styled himself Lord V-Voldemort a lesson. True, the ministry was having a rougher time of it then expected, but Percy knew no ragtag bunch of Dark Wizards; no group of incompetent baphoons as the Death Eaters seemed to be; could defeat the fully trained Professional Aurors. Especially Aurors trained and lead by Minister Scrimgeour. No, the Death Eaters were no better than muggle terrorists and no matter what far cave or hovel they sought to hide-in Percy knew the ministry would track them down.

In fact, that was what the Minister was doing now. Intelligence had suggested that the Lord We-Speak-Not-Of was planning an audacious attack on the muggle government in London and the Minister had just left to aid Auror Shacklebolt in heading that off. No, there was no need for the public to panic.

But they had. The whole world had gone as crazy as the Quibbler. The fact that the majority seemed to believe that their only hope lay in a sixteen year old boy with a lightning-bolt shaped scar, middling Quidditch skills and a penchant for trouble didn't bode well for the wizarding world's sanity.

What was personally worse though, was the fact that rumors said that his gullible little sister had recently taken a fancy to the scarred wonder. This was dumb and dangerous. Percy knew Harry. He was nothing special and Minister Scrimgeour knew this too. But the Dark Lord didn't.

Harry was only important because the Dark Lord and the people thought he was. Percy knew Scrimgeour didn't want Harry as an ally. He wanted him as bait and a sop to the people. Oh, the Minister would try to protect Harry. He wasn't out to get poor Harry killed, but anyone or anything of interest to the Dark Lord was of equal interest to the Ministry.

Ginny was a different case. If Ginny pursued Harry she would place herself in unnecessary danger. Percy though she should've known better, this Tom Riddle had already tried to use her once and Harry had saved her. Harry was always getting in the way. If Harry and his idiot brother Ron and that know-it-all Hermione hadn't interfered he and Penelope would have had the thing solved.

No, the Lord We-Speak Not-of wasn't all powerful. He was mortal after all and Percy knew that anyone, even himself on a very good day could defeat the wizard-that-no-one-would-name. Harry wasn't really needed. Hell, maybe even Penelope could take on you-know-who. But he certainly hoped she didn't. She was perfectly safe on the continent, behind her desk at the Von Hohenheim Institute for the Study of Muggle Medicine and Alchemy, in Hanover in the part of Europe muggles called Germany and he wanted her to stay there.

It was all insane and ridiculous. He looked at the unlawful uncouth and ugly crowd that ungulated around him. (Percy had continued a habit that his father had taught him of reading a part of the wizard-modern muggle dictionary daily. Today's treat had been the 'un's.)

The riot was unabated.

He shook his head to clear the last of the cobwebs and shouted: "WILLIAMSON!" and a pony-tailed Auror with a scarlet robe whisked past and pointed his wand at a skinny white haired bespectacled muggle with painfully arthritic knees who had hobbled over to hurl a broken bottle at them.

Percy ducked the bottle and Williamson cried: "_Peninunctura!_" and the man collapsed gratefully, his knees turned to sponge and pain free for the first time in a decade.

"WILLIAMSON, RESTORE ORDER!" screamed Percy again as out of the corner of his eye he caught a duel flash of red hair racing towards him.

"I'm Bloody well….Protego… trying sir," said Williamson "but…_Dissendium_… at the …_Incarcerous…_moment_….Stupefy…_no one…_Peninunctura_…seems to _Awit Suyoni _be …_Impedimenta.._ in the ..._Digitas Lubricas..._mood.._. Evaneseo..._for..._ Conjunctivitis_…. gentile discussions over bloody _Fumauris … _steaming_ tea sir."_

* * *

"Dennis, Colin keep your family behind me," ordered Lee Jordan backing up towards the cupola of the last car and trying to shield the two younger DA members, and their muggle family. Only a couple of Aurors and a few ministry employees stood between them and the Slytherins. One was Fred and George's father.

"Look," said Arthur Weasley trying to persuade the mob as five year old Cathy Creevey bawled behind him: "these people are only harmless children and muggles!"

"No muggle is harmless. Well, they are mostly harmless, but children or not, my son is in danger because of you mudblood loving Gryffindors!" cried a green clad mother raising her wand threatingly. "This is precisely why neither muggles nor half-bloods should be allowed at Hogwarts!"

* * *

Inside his car Ron found he had no time for Ginny's pleas about Percy. Dependent only on Professors Slughorn and Vector and a couple of Aurors for protection he soon found himself trapped in his compartment.

Professor Vector opened the narrow window and Slughorn said: "Climb out young Rudolph for it's the only way," and shoving Ron's bum from the rear pushed him out head first onto the grass embankment where he did a roll and leapt to his feet right into the path of a huge and furious eagle owl who with a burst of feathers fluttered hard to Ron's right and just missed his face.

As Ron scrambled up the opposite embankment he heard Slughorn start to bluster through the open window: _"My fellow Slytherins, this is a time for calm!"_

From the crest of the embankment which was several feet higher then the top of the train Ron watched the eagle owl swoop low over the forbidden forest and then loop over the lake, Dumbledore's glistening white tomb and Hogwart's itself before following the tracks due south and disappearing over the horizon.

Meanwhile, most of the Aurors and Enforcement Officers had formed a thin line just off the platform and were hexing, stunning and wrestling the rioters that were trying to get at Percy, Flitwick, Umbridge and a knot of officials. The riot was worse on the northern Slytherin end of the platform, but at the southern Hufflepuff end rioters were trying to climb the locomotive and were being held back only by a few aurors and from the top of the cab his brothers Fred and George. He waved at the twins.

Then through the audiowyrm he said: "Ron to all DA, everyone try to stay out of this, even if your parents or family are involved. Leave it to the aurors. This is just a riot. Not a battle."

"And gnomes can sweep with a Quidditch broom," Lee Jordan grumbled back just as a red curse flew past Ron's right ear.

An arrogant sounding voice shouted up at him: "_Expelliarmus!_" and Ron's wand flew out of his grip and tumbled over the edge of the cliff. A grinning Blaise Zabini grabbed it and flourished his own wand at Ron.

"That owl who almost took off your face Weasley, she's mine. Her name is Lilith. She's the fastest at Hogwarts. She was breed for speed by Hoots & Scoots Ltd the elite thoroughbred Owl breeders. But you wouldn't know about that, would you…Weasley. Considering that you probably got your reject owl from a discount muggle pet store."

Ron just glared. His anger as always built rapidly. Zabini was lucky that he had taken his wand; otherwise Ron would have already torn the snake to pieces.

"Ms. Lestrange will have our message in mere moments. This….unexpected event should give us an opportunity to finish off Potter and catch the Aurors off–guard. The Dark Lord will reward us; Hogwarts will be ours and all your mud blood friends including your precious HO my OH! Knee... will be tortured for our amusement."

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

"Oh, I will and then I think I'll go on to your sister. I hear she's fierce. I like that type. The more blood the better I always say. I bet that you'd like to watch, though."

"I'll KILL YOU!"

"Oh, you would if you could, but see unlike Malfoy I complete my missions, so I'm afraid you won't have a chance. I wonder if Ho'my'Oh knee! Knee will call your name when she cries for help. Oh, wait I forgot. She wouldn't do that anymore, will she? She cheated on you and loves Potter. Well, I suppose she'll call for Harry instead, then. Why not? She probably does it already when she shags him:

HARRY! Oh, POTTER HARDER! HARRY! OH, MERLIN, HARRY! Does she scream or moan? Do you know? I doubt it. You don't have the balls to fuck Weasley.

"You talk tough for someone with snitches for nuts. I thought you were going to kill me Blaise, not try to make me jealous."

"I'd bet you like her to call Harry's name don't you. I bet you watch when Harry has her. Hell, you probably fuck him too, Weasley! I always thought you swam on the other side of the river. Maybe, that is why the mudblood Granger dumped you. You don't swim go swimming in her type of creek do you? To bad. I'll let you in on a little secret. The rivers warmer if you swim on both sides."

Zabini added a lopsided smirk to his evil grin and made a flamboyant gesture with his wand. "But no matter, since there will be no swimming for you...and by the way Weasley, when you get to where you're going please say hello to Cedric Diggory for me, he always was a very fine chap…_.AVADA KEDAVRA!" _

* * *

"PERCY!" A small young petite red head and an older plumper red head were running towards Percy while zigging and zagging around rioters, bottles and spells. Since he hadn't seen them in so long, it actually took a moment to actually register that they were Ginevra and his mother.

"Percy, are you alright?" shouted his sister.

As they drew near, Percy saw a dark mark jet to the sky from the Slytherin end of the train. Someone was dead. This wasn't just a riot anymore. Death Eaters were attacking. "WILLIAMSON!"

"I see it, sir."

Then initiate Operation Sawbridge."

"A riot_… Stupefy_…wasn't part of that plan, sir."

"No, and neither was Harry supposed to be missing, but we have to try!"

"Yes, sir."

Just then, Percy saw a middle-aged witch turn towards his mother and sister and raise her wand. Mum! Ginny! Oh shit, Oh, Merlin that witch might be a Death Eater and Percy didn't have his wand.

"MUM, GINNY LOOK OUT!"

* * *

**Harry Potter & the Choices of the Heart****  
****Chapter 22: Iron Men**  
**by Ydnas Odell AKA DA Jones**

* * *

_Quote: "What broke in a man when he could bring himself to kill another?"_

Attribution: Alan Paton -- South African Writer and Educator (1903-1988)

* * *

A faint, familiar but horrifically wheezy voice called to Cho in her ear as if speaking through a narrow reed: "Cho, I love you."

"Michael? Is that you?" she asked. There was no response. "Michael is that you?" If it was Michael he didn't sound right.

No one answered. She tried again, biting back the beginning of panic. "Michael, was that you? Michael are you ok? Michael?"

The only reply came from overhead where a disembodied voice began shouting:

**Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All professors, staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital Wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately! Kodikas Galonos!**

Hermione startled and almost dropped Pansy's stretcher and cried: "Oh, no!" as Cho, Luna, Justin, Madam Pomfrey, and Tonks suddenly sprinted off in the direction of the hospital wing.

"What is it? What's it saying Hermione?" asked Harry.

"Kodikas Galonos is Greek for code blue. There…there must be a ward on the hospital wing to warn when someone's stopped breathing. Oh, Merlin Harry! Someone in the hospital wing is dying. That's why…Madam Pomfrey….Oh, God… Oh, Merlin… it must be…it's Bill! Harry!"

They raced down the hall like extremely fast scuttling crabs, Pansy still as a board on the stretcher between them. Luna and Justin just ahead and Tonks a bit further along, but Cho was leagues ahead of all of them having reached her own terrifying deduction.

"MICHAEL, MICHAEL!" she screamed and called for him through the audiowyrm. "Michael…Michael, I'm coming, I need you…don't you dare leave me too." But there was no reply.

As she swung at full speed around the corner of the third floor corridor that led to the hospital wing, a yellow streak shot right past her and blasted the wall just missing Luna.

Cho ducked behind a nearby suit of armor and looked behind her to see the dreamy girl rubbing a minor cut over her eye and curiously examining a head high smoking hole in the wall.

"Oh, hi Marietta," said Luna "that's a pretty if nasty yellow death curse you have. I've been seeing it a lot lately. It seems you need to improve your aim, though. Maybe you should practice shooting toads through Inca Hula Hoops. My dad says that You-know-who keeps a bunch in..."

"I have nothing to do with you-know-who!" snapped Marietta her wand once again pointed at Luna.

Tonks raised her wand and growled "I don't care if you're a Death Eater or not Marietta, drop the Wand!

"No!"

"Marietta," said Tonks. "I'm warning you, drop it! I'm placing you under arrest for the attempted murder of Luna Lovegood."

Marietta backed away a step or two, giving herself room. "Better it be for the actual murder then! "_Corpus Morticus_!"

Another yellow curse streaked from her wand right at Luna, but Tonks simaltaneously fired a small stone from her wand; which intercepted the spell and shattered in mid-air.

Marietta's response was a hail of rapid non-verbal stunners, which scattered them all and immediately put Tonks on the defense, she was only able to block about half of the stunners with a non-verbal shield charm and one of the strays almost took out Harry, but Hermoine shoved him to the ground in-the-nick of time and then pulled him and Pansy's stretcher into cover behind a desk. Harry struggled to rise, but Hermione pushed him down, and lay on his chest.

"Stay down Harry," Cho heard her hiss "or I'll stun you myself!"

Cho stuck her head out and screamed at Marietta: "**Stop-it!"** But Marietta reacted by clanging a stunner off the suit of armor in front of her. Marietta didn't seem to be actually trying to hit her, but it was impossible to do anything useful if she had to duck all the time.

"I can't Cho, you should know why, "said Marietta and then shouted: "_REDUCTO!"_"

Some of the ceiling crumbled overhead, narrowly missing Tonks onits descent. Tonks scrambled back, talking cover behind the uit of armor opposite Cho.

Marietta took another pot shot at Luna, but Justin shoved her head down with his palm at the last moment and it just missed both of them. Then he shoved her down and lay prone over her. "Let me go! I want to help!" cried Luna as Justin and Madam Pomfrey tried to drag her from the fray.

Tonks retaliated with a low aimed tripping jinx, but Marietta just hopped back a couple of steps and nailed the helmet of the suit of armor in front of Tonks, with a stunner, which made it rattle.

Tonks sent a pair of stunners between the legs of the suit of armor, but Marietta shielded herself with Protego and fired back, forcing Tonks to roll away from the suit .

Marietta sent another ghosting hex straight at Luna, but this time Hermione saved her friend with Tonk's stone trick and fired a second stone just over Marietta's head.

Marietta backed up a couple of steps and then summoned and smashed a vase into Tonks, but Tonks blocked it with a another shielding spell and sent it violently back at Marietta as Hermione just missed with her own stunner.

Marietta wasn't using her own wand. Cho knew this because she still had Marietta's wand safely tucked away. She shouted at Marietta: "You're using Michael's wand Marietta. What did you do to Michael?"

"I'm sorry Cho," said Marietta sadly "He's gone. I stabbed him, with this," she said opening her robe slightly with her left hand to show a bloody bone-handled dagger dangling from her hip. The gesture almost cost her, as Justin's hit her with a tripping hex, but she rolled quickly away and behind the suit of armor diagonally across from Cho and fired wildly back at Justin with a boil hex.

Cho took a shot but missed with an entanglement charm and then Tonks charged forward, but Marietta hit her with a tripping jinx and the Auror sprawled out in the center of the hallway. Her wand skittering away.

_"Accio_ Tonk's wand!" _said Marietta and it floated into her grip _

Marietta was quite good and determined, but Cho knew there was no way she could last for very long against an Auror and her fellow DA members, even if she had caught them by surprise. But they didn't have time. Michael had been stabbed. He was dying. There was no time for her _'friends'_ bullshit

As if to reemphasize that point the ceiling screamed: '"**Kodikas Galonos!"** again just as out of the corner of her eye she saw Harry try to twist away from Hermione and crawl forward into the action, but Hermione wasn't allowing it.

As Tonks scrambled up and Marietta ducked under another of Justin's hexes, Cho screamed at Marietta, her voice wavy.

"Why? What did Michael do to you?"

"He tried to stop me! He and scarface!"

"He is your best friend!"

"He WAS my best friend, Cho!"

"He's… dead, then? You….you…YOU KILLED HIM!" said Cho hands over her face and tears streaming. "I...I don't blame you. I know it is not your fault. You're just sick Marietta."

Marietta waved Tonks wand in Cho's direction as if to make a point. "Stop saying that. I know what I'm doing and you know why even if you won't believe it. I'm perfectly sane. They'll call me a hero some day. I didn't mean to kill him, you must know that. I…I…I tried to save him. I'll miss him."

"If you're sane, than you're a monster you bitch!"

**"**I'm doing what's right, I know it."

"Then you're sick."

Meanwhile the wandless Tonks had closed in during the conversation and now physically leaped at Marietta, but Marietta caught her mid-air with a punching jinx and knocked her back. Overhead the ceiling screeched again:

**"Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All professors, staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital Wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately! Kodikas Galonos!"**

Cho had to get to Michael. If he died her heart would turn to ice. He wasn't dead. This couldn't happen twice. She leaned her head out from her protective suit of armor. "Let me past Marietta. Please, let me go to him."

But, Marietta shouted "_Ferrati Movete!_" tapped the suit of armor in front of her with Tonk's wand and then aimed Michael's wand at the suit of armor in front of Cho and suddenly metal arms wrapped around Cho's waist and held her tight and still as another half-dozen metallic warriors attacked her friends and Marietta let off another wild torrent of spells, including some of the killer yellow ones in the direction of Luna and Justin.

Cho squirmed and twisted against the iron man's grip, trying to free her wand arm. There had to be a spell she knew that worked against metal. There just weren't that many and in her panicked state she was having trouble thinking of one.

"Marietta, please let me go to Michael," said Cho. "I need to see him...help him." She needed to calm her emotions. She needed to think.

"I think he's beyond help Cho, I'm sorry."

"Please, Marietta if you won't let me past, at least let Madam Pomfrey go to him."

Just then another suit of armor with a clang ponderously raised a sword handle to bash her over the head and too late Tonks turned and leapt at it trying to save her, but just-in-time Harry screamed: **"**E_xpelliarmus!" _and the sword clattered harmlessly away. Hermione followed up by blasting the attacking suit to pieces with: **"**_Reducto!_**_"_**

Then Harry and Hermione shouted again and another two suits-of-armor exploded. Justin tried to banish another from his knees but only succeeded in making its helmet disappear, however this seemed to disorient it and it blundered around until it banged into another and they both crashed down.

Meanwhile Cho's suit-of-armor had started lumbering about with its captive, but no one could take a shot, without risking injury to her. But finally she remembered the metal-cutting spell and cried:

"_Scindus Lamminus!_" and severed the sections of arm around her waist, which with a metallic screech fell to the ground and made a loud hollow clang. Stepping clear she then followed Hermione's example and blasted the suit of armor to smithereens.

"MARIETTA, LET MADAM POMFREY GO TO MICHAEL, PLEASE!"

"But…I don't think Madam Pomfrey can go," said Hermione softly and then Marietta screamed "NO! NO! The idiot nurse…I didn't mean."

Cho turned to look behind her. Madam Pomfrey lay prone over Luna and both were very still. A fine mist had gathered over them. Justin had crawled over and partially rolled Madam Pomfrey off of Luna and had begun shaking his girlfriend. "Luna! Please, no!"

Everything stopped, including to Cho what felt like her heart, but the blasted ceiling was still screaming:

**"Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All professors, staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital Wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately! Kodikas Galonos!"**

Meanwhile, 4-Q had fallen from Luna's grip and rolled halfway across the hall.

Marietta picked it up and as with the previous Ravenclaws briefly shuddered with violent ecstasy as the staff flashed and pulsed.

But she quickly gathered herself. "I was right Cho. You didn't believe me, but I was right. This is the Staff of Barnabes and if Luna found it, than she must be the Heir of Ravenclaw."

But somehow the act of taking the staff had woken up Luna, who groggily pushed the still form of Madam Pomfrey off her, shrugged off Justin's hug, climbed to her knees and reached out with her wand. "Give her back! Give her back to me! Give me Four-Q!"

"No! I can't. You're the Heir of Ravenclaw."

"No, I'm not. But she's mine. Give her to me."

"Never!"

"_Accio Four-Q!"_

The staff pulled itself out of Marietta grasp and with the glittering runes flashing and rippling silver and gold, tumbled end over end into Luna's grip.

Rage turned Marietta's face red and she bellowed: "_Sectumsempra!_" and made a slashing motion with Michael's wand aiming the curse at Luna.

But Justin pushed Luna aside and toppled over, his right side flayed wide open and blood pumping freely onto the marble floor. "Justin!" Luna screamed, and crawled towards him, forgetting for the moment all about 4-Q. "Justin!"

"His death will do the job just as well as yours, I suppose!" sneered Marietta and taking advantage of the heroes' moment of paralysis summoned the staff back from Luna and fled past them down the long access hall to the wing.

Of them all only Harry and Hermione had the presence of mind to try to stop her, but Marietta blocked Hermione's stunner with a shield charm and Harry's Expelliarmus didn't retrieve back the staff but only Tonk's wand, which he gave to her, but by before he could follow Hermione in pursuit, Luna had grabbed his sleeve and let out another cry: "Harry, help me! Justins bleeding everywhere!"

And then the ceiling screamed again:

"**Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All professors and staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital Wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately! Kodikas Galonos!"**

Cho glanced around, tears streaking her face. Marietta had killed Michael and done all this. Harry and Luna were frantically trying to stench Justin's blood flow, Luna actually the calmer of the two, while Tonks was kneeling next to Madam Pomfrey and feeling for a pulse. Suddenly Madam Pomfrey's voice spoke from directly behind her and Tonks spun:

"No, need for that Tonks," said the spirit of Madam Pomfrey, "As a healer I can assure you that I'm quite dead."

Cho forgot everything else and ran for Michael.

* * *

a/n So what did you think of this chapter. I like reviews whether good or critical because they help to improve my writing. So is Marietta crazy or just misunderstood? Is Michael dead? Kodikas Galonos is great for 'Code Blue' and since all or almost all the 'healing spells in HP are Greek.


	11. Chapters 23 to 25

**Harry Potter and The Choices of the Heart****  
****Chapter 23: The Muse & The Messenger ****  
****by DA Jones AKA Ydnas Odell**

* * *

_Quote: "Illustrious acts high raptures do infuse, and every conqueror creates a muse."_

_Attribution: Edmund Waller (English Poet-- 1606-1687) _

* * *

In the dimming light of near dusk Bellatrix Lestrange stood atop a hillock over-looking the tracks about one and three-quarter miles from Hogsmeade Station and focused a scarce beam through her omniculars. The column of stream on the edge of the horizon that was the Hogwarts Express had been in the same position for the last two hours and there was no sign or sound to indicate that it planned to move soon.

This frustrated her. She was eager to attack. The Order would be defending the train and both Potter and Longbottom would be aboard. This mission was both a chance to deliver the death blow to the leaderless Order and a chance to capture Potter. And if she were really lucky Longbottom would stick his pugnacious ass in the way.

True, she wouldn't turn down the chance to torture Potter, but it was Longbottom she wanted. She smiled, closed her eyes and imagined his cries. It would be so sweet.

One thing great conquerors and great artists have in common is a megalomaniacal need to control and perfect the fine details of their work and Bellatrix fancied herself a master of the fine art of pain who used 'Crucio' as her brush.

Gruesomeness she painted with hues of glorious gory grey and screams with knots of purple, black and bloody crimson thread tied with hopeless bows of bright green and Longbottom was her muse. At the Department of Mysteries she had only been able to sketch an outline of his potential but she knew he would be her masterwork.

Oh, Longbottom would certainly die but first she would make him scream, scream until his lungs bleed. Insanity was too kind a punishment for Neville Longbottom. He was the last Longbottom left, but one she'd d thought hardly worthy of her time, despite the fact that the Longbottom's had always been her nemesis; Neville in fact had seemed quite a fat fool.

But Longbottom had been one of Harry's friends at the Department of Mysteries and accident or not Neville had defeated them by destroying the prophecy. In short, he had embarrassed her and people who embarrassed Bellatrix didn't have long to live.

What was keeping the train?

She looked at the dripping hourglass on her silver witch's watch; the train was late at least an hour or so.

It was vitally important to the Lord's battle plan that her team attack the Express simultaneous to Snape's raid on the muggles; this would divide and scatter the ministries forces and force them to pull forces away from the Dark Lords main target; which he would attack personally. But since the train was late, Snape's assault was on hold, as well as the Dark Lord's. And the longer they waited the better the chance that one of them would be discovered.

If the train didn't appear soon she was going to have to amend her Lord's plan and lead a direct attack on the station instead of the ambush they had planned. The Dark Lord would not be happy.

But just then through her omniculars she spied a speck in the sky on a course parallel to the tracks and focused on it.

As it approached and grew larger it revealed itself to be a large Eagle owl and as it began to descend she noticed a green light jet into the sky behind it in the vicinity of the train.

The Dark Mark?

The Owl had landed and she eagerly stripped the parchment from its legs and began to read. It was from Septimus Vector, Hogwarts Arthimancy professor and the leader of a third column of recent recruits and it was styled in the form of an academic paper and was headlined:

--

**PI, PROBABILITY AND POTTER: A REGRESSIVE META-ANALYSIS OF THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF CHANCE IN THE CASE OF THE 'CHOSEN ONE'.**

_by Septimus Vector, DRA, OFA, MPMS, POA HSWW._

**HSoW&W Student Contributors: **Victoria Frobisher, 7th year; Hermione Granger, Su Li, Terry Boot, Padma Patil and Millicent Bulstrode, 6th Year, Asteria Greengrass, 4th year, Natalie McDonald, 3rd year.**Abstract:** The calculations that are suggested by the Oxford mathematician and muggle-born Hu Lee's quark theory of charms in the B model suggest that Pi may be irrational. This is a concept on which most Muggle mathematicians agree; however arithmancers such as William Shank find Pi's lack of pattern contrary to the basic principles of magical science.

This paper uses principles of Muggle science such as the cosmological constant and attempts to unify them with Lee's quark theory in order to solve for Pi and aid in finding the patterns that may be able to discern the future of the chosen one and the Dark Lord.

**Pi: **Pi in Muggle Euclidean plane geometry ( π ) is defined either as the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter or as the ratio of a circle's area to the area of a square whose side is the radius. The constant π may be defined in other ways that avoid the concepts of arc length and area, for example as twice the smallest positive x for which cos(x) 0…

--

Why in the name of Modred's mother would Septimus in the middle of a battle send her what seemed to be a theoretical paper on charms and muggle mathematics even if it had to do with Potter?

She couldn't have simply misdirected her mail. Wait! If it was from Septimus? She waved her wand over the parchment **"Apparicium****" **

The ink swirled, twirled, dissolved and re-set itself. It was no longer a paper but a letter. Bellatrix read:  
_  
__Mrs. Lestrange:__By the time you receive this missive, you will see that as the on-site field commander I have ordered an attack. I realize that I have many green recruits, but by my calculations there was no more opportune moment. __There has been an attempted murder here which although not instigated by us, has been to our distinct advantage. By dint, of arithmancy, social manipulation and a few well-cast charms we have managed to create a social disturbance and violent civil disobedience. The Aurors and members of the Order are fully engaged in trying to put this down, and have been caught by surprise. We are endeavoring to create additional chaos that should greatly aid our cause.__Potter is isolated in the castle, away from most of his acquaintances and vulnerable and I have assured that Slughorn's club has been eternally adjourned. _

_Recommend you make haste. If you come with all deliberate speed victory will be complete and the Dark Lord will be most pleased._

**_S. Vector _**

The impatient fool! Septimus had blown her cover. She was supposed to await Bellarix's attack and lead the new recruits in a surprise assault from inside the train. Now Bellatrix really would have to hurry to her help otherwise all of the Dark Lord's new recruits would be wiped out. Still, it was good news about Slughorn.

Already calculating a new plan in her head she turned to appraise the circle of her cohorts, Yaxley was attentive, the Carrows grinned at her toothlessly, Wormtail cowered, Goyle grunted, and the two decrypt old man in the back just looked tired. It seemed to her that Rosier, Sr. had even almost heaved up a sigh.  
Rosier Sr. and Avery Sr. hadn't participated in a mission for Voldemort since the first war, and their sickly wire thin frames seemed barely capable of holding their wands aloft against a stiff breeze; let alone Aurors, but their pasty faces were proud and set with a grim determination that seemed fixed in stone. And she remembered their deeds. To her, they were the heroes that had first helped the glorious Dark Lord rise to his fame, but they didn't belong here, not now.

But due to her idiot brother in law Lucius, the Dark Lord was a little short of manpower and had needed to call in whatever aid her could obtain from the retired reserve. But after tonight's battles that issue would be resolved and they would've a flood of young recruits. People, especially the young and idealistic flocked to power, especially when that power projected rightful change.

After tonight, Rosier and Avery the two heroic but dowdy old men, could return to their palatial mansions and their deserved dotage; while the younger generations fought the fight for the flow. But for now, there was only tonight and when and if victorious a future.

Turing to the others she said: "That idiot Vector has launched an attack; we must go to her aid. Goyle, Alectus, Amycus you're with me. We'll apparate in as close as the wards will allow and take along ten of our forty Inferi. Yaxley you will relay in the in the remaining Inferi and then return here to help Rosier and Avery with the Giants. Then the three of you will await my orders to come forward, bring Wormtail if he comes back or any reinforcements the Dark Lord sends you. If you don't receive any orders within a half-hour or the train begins to move you are to proceed to the ambush site and follow our original plans. Understand?"

They nodded.

She quickly rolled up the parchment and wrote a brief message to the Dark Lord on the back and handed it to a nervous Wormtail.

"Wormtail, take this letter to the Dark Lord and tell him that we have begun our assault, then come back here and follow Yaxley's orders unless the Dark Lord has another duty for you."

Wormtail nodded and disapperated

Bellatrix, the Carrows and Goyle and Yaxley took a moment to gather the first group of Inferi about themselves and then followed leaving only the two old men, three Giants and about thirty Infari standing on the hillock.

Old Rosier looked around, glanced warily at the nearest fidgeting Giant, sat on a rock and withdrew a pack of cards from his robe pocket. Turning to the Gurg he asked:

"Want to play? The Quibbler had an article in last Wednesday's issue on a new interesting card game. It's called Fizzbin."

* * *

**Harry Potter & The Choices of the Heart ****by Ydnas Odell AKA DA Jones**

**Chapter 24: At Precisely a Quarter to Seven**

_

* * *

_  
_Quote: The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is._

* * *

Attribution: C.S. Lewis

At precisely a quarter to seven as Draco Malfoy sat with Flint in the park amidst the growing dark he shivered slightly. But not from fear he told himself. No it was the natural cold.

The temperature had dropped along with the setting sun and what had been a warm summer's eve was now a brisk night and he was after all dressed only in a muggle T-shirt. No, the goosebumps now mounting on his flesh were only from the cold, not fear.

Draco knew he was an agent of the darkness tonight, but he did intend to give it his all; despite his late crisis of will. Any smart wizard knew that to keep the light you needed the dark, it was a balance thing and failure just couldn't be contemplated and not only due to the risk to his family. Failure tonight might be the first step towards the failure of magic and if magic failed, did it really matter in the long run what Voldemort did to him or his family?

The Dementors weren't getting to him. His will and Occulmency were too strong.

But maybe not as strong as that of the attractive and tough looking muggle officer that now sauntered out of the crowd, her rookie partner in tow. Unlike most local cops they were armed with pistols as part of the recently established anti-terror patrol. The rookie looked terrified, at least the Dementors were getting to one of them.

"Gentlemen, St. James Park is about to close," said the dark skinned and busty bobby whose name tag read: 'Officer Lauren'.

"We're waiting for our mate," said Flint standing-up.

"It's a chilly night and you've been waiting a long-time." She looked at her watch. You've been here for more then four hours."

"He's late."

"Four hours is very late, don't you have a mobile phone?"

"No."

"Well, since the park is closing you'll have to meet your mate elsewhere."

At that, Flint suddenly leapt –up and pressed his wand against the officer's throat and she slumped forward onto Draco. Flint had cut-off the blood flow to her brain, causing her to faint; she would be dead in minutes if it weren't restored; if the Dementors didn't get her first, for they were silently floating in now with their brume.

Draco pushed Lauren off his lap and onto the bench and then stood as she began to twitch. Meanwhile Flint was advancing on the panicked rookie officer, who desperately yelled at him to 'freeze.'

When he didn't and instead raised his wand, the rookie officer responded with a fusillade which whined harmlessly off Flint's shield.

Flint dispatched the fumbling cop as he tried to reload and then cried: "Mos Morde Duex!" and cast a brachiated Dark Mark into the sky. He turned shouted at Draco: "Come on!" and grabbed his disguised broom, reversing the transfiguration.

Flint flew-off in the general direction of Downing Street as Draco out of the corner of his eye he saw a Dementor grab Lauren's mouth and begin to suck.

Draco mounted to follow Flint, but almost immediately had to flip sideways to avoid a group of terrified and scattering muggles as answering dark marks rose from the far side of the lake. For some reason a lone goose followed him.

* * *

At the same moment as officer Lauren's was losing her soul the Prime Minister of the Muggles was in his private quarters at 11 Downing Street rubbing the soles of his pregnant wife.

He had finished today's state dinners and events early but as usual would be up late tonight. He had held a long conversation with the President of a far distant country about dispatching _HMS Invincible_ to aid in maintaining the no-fly zone over an even further distant desert country and had also had a disturbing discussion with that arrogant Scrimgeour about the death of that school Headmaster Dumbledore.

He didn't yet fully understand why this Dumbledore seemed so important. But regardless he had received numerous memos and reports about the recent terrible events both from his own ministers (the epidemics of tornadoes and bridge collapses were increasing) and several super-secret ones from Fudge and Scrimgeour and his ministry of magic. The magic memos had the highly annoying if curious habit of forming themselves into paper airplanes and flitting about.

Just how much he could trust these secret 'air-mail' reports from the magic ministry he couldn't tell, but they were information and he was hungry for information, any information about this foreign civil-war on his soil. But as to what he could do about it. He had no idea. He knew he was close to powerless here and just had to trust his messengers.

Yesterday had been the usual Thursday morning cabinet meeting, and in addition to all the bad news and mysterious murders (including that of an extremely elderly matron known as Griselda Marchbanks); Shacklebolt had been forced to physically remove both Lord Falconer and the Defense Minister. Both were demanding the immediate invasion of Switzerland and seemed to have come under the influence of that infamous 'Imperio curse'.

But even magic warfare didn't excuse the Prime Minister from the affairs of his heart and family and when he should have been studying the latest report on the mysterious team wide foot-aliment that had recently struck Second Divison leading Wigan Athletic; instead he was messaging his six months pregnant wife's feet.

She was pregnant with twins and as the pregnancy was not going well she had been ordered abed. He suspected that it was the effect of all the fug lately.

All this mist was not good for the system and of course, he knew that it was all related to some sort of mysterious evil creatures called Dementors. But he could not tell his wife that. He could just imagine: 'Oh, honey I think I should tell you that our baby is being cursed by evil wizards. And even as Prime Minster there is not a bloody single thing I can do about it'.

Well, maybe fans. Maybe he should have really big electric fans set up outside on the Horse Grounds Parade and at St. James Park. But likely, that would just get the press and his wife talking about how he was even more insane than Herbert Chorley.

He knew that it was unusual for a politician, but he deeply loved his wife. His wife had given him six lovely and boisterous children and he loved her more then Britain itself and if the stress of office proved too much for her, he would put her and the family first.

Yesterday after that disastrous cabinet meeting and before talking to Scrimgeour he had had actually written the letter of resignation. It was still in the draw in his desk. Scrimegour had promised the aid of magical healers for his wife if necessary and had told the Prime Minister that he: 'Scrimgeour' was on top of the war.

But the Prime Minister was not so sure anymore that he was. Scrimgeour didn't seem any more capable than that other arrogant fool Fudge.

And another thing; he didn't consider it a good sign that none of these magical ministry officials seemed willing to refer to this dark wizard by his proper name; which seemed to be 'Lord Voldemort.'

Which brought up an interesting and scary point; who was this Lord Voldemort? Scrimgeour and Fudge had taken pains to ensure him that he was not in fact a real lord. "There are no noble men among wizards," Fudge had said, "but it is true that one dark and powerful one aspires to be our king."

That our king bit was interesting. It meant that at least in a nominal way the magical ministry considered the Queen their sovereign; which meant that technically at least he could argue that he was the boss of these magical boys.

But reality said otherwise and they way they treated him as an inferior said more. He could no more order them to do anything then he could order God to let his wife and new child be alright.

And speaking of God, God forbid that this Lord Voldemort was an actual Lord. The House of Lords was plenty enough trouble without a dark wizard to cast more than a vote against his reforms.

Resign or not the Prime Minister knew that between the problems in the Middle East, tax issues and this bloody 'you- know-who' it was only a mater of time until he lost the confidence of Parliament and new elections were called. He wouldn't win those elections.

Just at the moment Timothy their six year old son came into the room hugging a pillow. "Daddy, Merlin says he wants to talk too you, right now. He say's it is an Emer-Emar-jen-nancy."

"Timmy, your father's busy," said his wife obvious annoyed a bit about the interruption.to their tender interlude. Between the matters of the state and politics and the matters of their children, they had very little quality time alone; although from the size of their family you wouldn't think it.

"And don't start-up again about that bloody talking painting. Paintings don't talk. Why don't you go find nanny and ask her to read you a story? There's a really good one by KJ Crowning that just came out today that I had nanny buy called: _"Larry Moonbottom and the Snorkack Philosopher." _

The Prime Minister smirked briefly. He had heard of that one. It had received rave reviews and one the Brownbread Prize . But frankly it was a bit old for Timmy. His wife must have just wanted to read it herself.

"I'll take it care of it dear," the Prime Minister said to his wife and taking his son by the hand led him back down the hall and into his room. The boy did have a lively imagination, but since the Prime Minister knew for a fact that paintings did talk, he was inclined to indulge the boy and investigate. And Timmy did have a big mural of Merlin and the Sword-in-the Stone in the room he shared with his eight year old brother Jason.

But thankfully Jason wasn't home at the moment to tease his brother; along with three of his older siblings he was at a sleep-over at the Secretary of Culture, Media and Sports home. That particular Secretary was really pushing him to get to the bottom of the Wigan Athletic foot problem. An entire weeks worth of games had had to be canceled and the syndrome seemed to be spreading to other clubs.

Upon their arrival the mural of Merlin over Timmy's bed immediately cleared its throat and exclaimed: "Thank Merlin!"

"But you're Merlin," protested Timmy innocently.

The painting ignored this. "Never mind that. Mr. Prime Minister you must gather your family quickly. The Minister of Magic has intelligence that the Dark Lord will attack Dowling St imminently.

"But… the Diplomatic Protection Force…the Life Guard?"

"Will be no match for Dark Wizards. We will try to keep them at bay... but you must leave."

Just then as the Prime Minister heard screams and automatic weapons fire from the direction of Downing Street security and Shacklebolt burst through Timmy's door and the painting went silent.

"Daddy!?" cried Tim grabbing his fathers leg.

"Sir," said Shacklebolt "we must get you and your family out of here. There seems to be some sort of terrorist attack on St. James Park."

"Right. Well try not to upset Jane and the children too much will you, gents?"

* * *

At exactly the same moment that Shacklebolt began to evacuate the Prime Minister the Patil twins were playing with their old Indian style wizarding chess set (with elephants and chariots for rooks and bishops.) at the dusty kitchen table of an old strange squib in Little Whinging, Surrey. The home was cluttered, sometimes smelt like urine and cats roomed in and out at all times, making Padma sick. 'Old Auntie Figg' had cats. Lots of cats.

Until Parvati had met their grand-mothers friend from the old war: 'Auntie Figg' she had thought that Professor Umbridge's obsession with kittens couldn't be topped. But not even Umbridge had as many pictures of cats on the wall as 'Aunt Figg' and it was even possible that Figg had more cats then Umbridge had pictures as Parvati swore she had never seen the same cat twice in the three days she'd been here.

Since Dumbledore had died their parents had gone into a complete panic about this whole 'you-know-who-thing' and for some reason had decided almost immediately after his death that that this completely cat obsessed non-magical person's home was a good place to hide from you-know-who.

No one had left the house except for their father and Ms. Figg. Ms. Figg had left early yesterday to arrive early for Dumbledore's funeral and their father left every morning to visit the Magical Indian Consulate and get their paperwork done so the family could return to India (where neither twin had ever been) and came back every evening more and more surly. The Magical Indian Consulate made the British Ministry look like a bastion of efficiency.

Aside from Dumbledore's funeral the family had no idea about what was going on in the wizarding world. In an effort to separate their daughters and themselves from danger the Patils had canceled all of their family's wizarding publications (including Padma's Witches Weekly) and had set all of their owls free. They had even thrown out their trusty wizarding wireless.

Their only source of news was the muggle newspapers the _London Times_ and the _Times of India_ which their father brought home every night and Ms. Figg's old muggle telly with rabbit ears that broadcast blurred pictures of news through the static.

Each day, all day, their mother sat in front of it, getting animatedly interested in a muggle soap opera called the_ Eastenders_ during which she periodically called out: "Why don't you hex the _boy, you git!"_ but otherwise wringing her hands looking for the slightest news of the magic world. Whatever she found always was bad, like today's murder of Griselda Marchbanks and the awful foot aliment of the muggle football team.

Her eyes watering while Parvati lightly scratched a cat whose collar identified him as 'Mr. Paws_'_, Padma moved her black queen under fierce protest to take Parvati's pawn. The queen shouted angrily at Padma, shook her fist and made threats with her scepter and then Parvati saw why. Padma must be really distracted; she had just sacrificed her queen for a pawn. Parvati re-took it with one of her own pawns. She had never seen a pawn so happy. This one seemed to think it deserved the Order of Merlin.

Padma answered by pushing another pawn up the center of the board, into the space Parvati's pawn had vacated one space from the last row. Parvati then took Padma's last chariot with her trumpeting elephant and surveyed her sister's pieces. All Padma had left was some pawns, a knight (more correctly a centaur in Indian wizard-chess.) and both elephants. Parvati was going to win. She hadn't beaten Padma for ages.

Normally Padma was a real scacchic sage and would have given Ron a run for his galleons if only Ron had any. Therefore, the only possible reason she could be losing was that something besides her allergy to cats was bothering Padma.

"What's bothering you sis? Are you're day dreaming again?" .

Padma let out a huge honking sneeze. ACHOO! And actually blew over her king, who wiped some errant snot away with a scow.

Instead of accepting the inadvertent surrender Parvati cleaned and righted it as Padma profusely apologized to her king.

How was it even possible thought Parvati that her twin was allergic to cats and she wasn't? Wasn't something like allergies supposed to be genetic? Well, it was a good thing that Padma had been sorted into Ravenclaw. It wouldn't have been good decorum to have a sister who was allergic to the head of their house.

"Well desides the obbious I miss Derry."

"Terry was never going to ask you out."

"Shows what you nose, at least I've dad a doyfriend, Darv."

"Forget about Seamus?"

After blowing her nose loudly Padma said: "One dake dout dession at the astronomy dower dardly counts as a romance Darvati."

"And one day at the Hogsmeade with Anthony counts why?"

"De deld my dand for dree monds afterwards."

"And never kissed you."

"Because de was a gendleman."

"Which means he's probably as gay as our dead headmaster."

Padma moved the center pawn to the back-row. And sniffed: "Stop wid dat dasty rumor. Dummledore isn't gay, not dat dere would de anyding wrong if de does."

Meanwhile her king had got down on one knee and proposed to the handsome and heroic gentleman who had advanced to the last rank. And in a very regal, elaborate, moving and romantic ceremony the pawn married the recently mourning king and was crowned the new queen. "Mate in one," said Padma. The black pieces Huzza'd.

"What?" It was true. Padma's new queen now bore down on her king unopposed and supported by an elephant and Parvati's own pieces blocked her in. She could hold off Padma for one move, by moving a centaur to block, but that would only save one turn.

"I resign."

Parvati's king bowed to his vanquisher and with a sigh and a swift move of her wand Padma re-set the board. "I'm black now."

"Girls!"

"Yes, Mum." they answered in unison. Their mothers voice sounded shaky.

"I-I want you to see something…"

They went to the living room where their mum was trying to use her wand to adjust the rabbit ears, mostly without success, but between the static they could tell that there was chaos and running muggles on the Telly! Flashes of light and shots of the exterior of 10 Downing Street. Ted that ace muggle anchor was conversing with some other reporter who seemed to be live on the scene.

"Edward, what is happening?"

"Ted, there seems to be some sort of mass terror attack occurring at St. James Park as we speak. Police are trying to cordon off the Horse Grounds Parade and I can hear heavy automatic weapons fire. All the nearby buildings have been evacuated; Buckingham palace has been closed off. Officials assure us that the Prime Minister, his family and the Royal Family are safe and that the situation is under control, but Ted I've never seen such chaos. The Life Guard are cantering around the Parade looking bewildered and frankly I've never seen terrorists attack on brooms before."

"Brooms did you say, Edward?"

The camera panned up as several wizards flew out of the mist at tree-top level and shot multi-colored curses from their wands at snipers stationed on the roofs of Downing Street. The twins recognized one of them.

"That's no terrorist," said Padma in shock. "That's Draco Malfoy!"

"Draco's a Death Eater and Death Eater's are terrorists and murders," answered Parvati plainly. "He was going to kill our headmaster."

"But he didn't. Professor Snape did."

"And look Draco's turned a new leaf, Padma. He's decided to kill only muggles. So let's nominate him for humanitarian of the year. "

"Of course not. I'm not saying….he's just not as bad as some of the others."

"Padma, he's a Death Eater! You and I were members of Dumbledore's army I think he'd kill us on sight just on principle."

At that their mother took a sharp intake of breathe and scolded them: "You two were foolish to join that organization, Harry Potter can't win against these types of people."

The camera returned to the studio just as Edward said: "Obviously, something very strange is going on there."

"Mum, Padma turn away he's about to do it again," said Parvati. She had seen this once before on yesterday's muggle newscast and had almost been caught unawares. This supposed muggle Ted was actually an Oblivator who worked for the ministry.

As they turned away, Ted the anchor pulled a wand and whispered "Oblivate!" and everyone watching a telly within range of the channel which was Surrey and the majority of England instantly forgot that they had seen a terrorist on a broom.

Thirty second later, Ted also made sure they forgot about the zombies and a minute after that made sure they forgot about the Death Eater that had turned Edward inside out after an awkward interview request.

After that the Patil's mother said: "This is why we are moving to India."

* * *

Also, as the Patil's watched Figg's telly; Voldemort led a surprise Demantor attack on Azkaban and freed his remaining Death Eaters. Over the next hour or so he sent them as reinforcements to Bellatrix, Vector and Snape.

At Downing Street, thanks in part to Flint's stupidity, Snape had been forced to attack about five minutes earlier then he had planned and without the surprise he had wanted. And the muggles in the pill box that blocked the nearest entrance to Downing Street were not as terrified of magic as he'd hoped. By ten to seven he was behind schedule and casualties were higher than expected. The muggles were putting up the best resistance they could and their automatic weapons had proved a bigger hindrance than expected and the first Aurors had now appeared. He was winning but the battle was not going smoothly.

At Hogsmeade station Bellatrix had completed her apparition maneuver at half past six and so at a quarter to seven began the formal phase of the Battle of Hogsmeade Station by advancing to join Vector's third column under the cover of a self-created created fog.

At first it went well for her. There was some order to the Death Eater attack while the Aurors, the DA and most of their allies were in a state of confusion and scattered all over the grounds of Hogwarts.

Arthur Weasley, Lee Jordan and the Creeveys were about to battle for their lives in the last car of the Hogwarts Express. A wandless Ron was busy diving for his life from Zabini's curse; Justin was bleeding out his life in Harry and Luna's arms and Hermione?

Hermione was chasing and dueling a heavily armed and murderous Marietta throughout the halls of Hogwarts. She was desperate to get back Luna's staff quickly. She knew that if she didn't the strange Ravenclaw would hot live through the hour.

And Percy (who had a plan) was shouting a warning to his sister and mother while McGonagall was trying to calm the Goldstein's and Parkinson's and Tonks was realizing that Pomfrey was dead.

Cho? Well, Cho had just entered the hospital wing to find a pair of house-elves in surgical masks frantically jumping in bare feet on her beloved Michael's chest as one screamed: "Mr. Corner must take breath!"

But not everything was as desperate as this. For even as all Britain seemed about to fall apart, as breaking news about disaster after breaking news about disaster scrolled before the horrified eyes of the Patil's, as Shacklebolt hurried the Prime Minister and his family through the corridors of Downing Street, as Voldemort seemed posed to rule the world; Hannah Abbot stood on her tippy-tippy toes and had an oh-so-sweet; oh-so-good; oh-so-real kiss.

It was twelve to seven on Friday the 30th of June 1997 and as her muggle boyfriend gently placed his strong but pudgy arm around her hips to pull her close and with his free hand began to caress her hair she idlely wondered if she wasn't falling in love.

"Dudley," she breathed "kiss me again."

So he did, this time bruising her lips with passion.

* * *

**Harry Potter and the Choices of the Heart**

**by DA Jones**

**Chapter 25: Screaming Downward**

_

* * *

_

_ATTRIBUTION: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (1900–1944), French aviator, author. Flight to Arras, ch. 8 (1942)._

_QUOTATION: War is not a true adventure. It is a mere ersatz. Where ties are established, where problems are set, where creation is stimulated—there you have adventure. But there is no adventure in heads-or-tails, in betting that the toss will come out of life or death. War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus. _

* * *

Screaming downward out of the sun from sixty degrees Terrance Higgs surprised Alicia Spinnet. She juked left late as a red curse barely flew over her right shoulder, then dove and pushed vertically into an Anders Loop hoping to get behind him. But Higgs curved after her and followed her ascent. Twisting left and right she poured on all of the ministry issued Firebolt's speed, but Higgs stayed on her twig. A red curse parted her hair and a purple one skimmed her toes. She aimed for the sky.

As she climbed the air chilled and thinned radically and a frightful and increasing pressure forced the blood from her extremities and flattened her face. Alicia struggled for oxygen and fought against the added weigh, and as her vision blackened around the edges, her grip began to slacken and her rear slide towards the tail of her broom.

She was close to passing out and tumbling off her broom from the cold, lack of breathable air and the force muggle pilots called "Gee's". Yet, somehow as she continued her high-angle twists she managed to silently cast both the bubble-head charm and a simple hex to relieve the pressure.

But she knew that even magic wouldn't let her climb much higher or for much longer and Higgs was good. Alicia remembered him as the seeker from the Slytherin versus Gryffindor Quidditch match in her third year and she had always thought that he was more talented and a much better seeker for Slytherin than Draco had turned out to be. He was one of the few Slytherin's she had credited with any talent and now he was reminding her why.

She pulled the loop tighter and soon she was starring at the ground thousands of feet below. Clinching her thighs with all her might around the shaft she re-enforced the anti-gravity charm, then rolled back-up and jigged right as another hex Higgs had aimed at her inverted head flashed past. She shoved the broom handle back down and dove crazily, as the wind whipped past.

Swiveling her head and wand arm she reached behind her and blindly shot stunning spells upwards in the general direction of her opponent; hoping to disrupt his pursuit. There had to be something in_ Great Wizard Dogfights of the Great Wizard War by_ Scott Downe that Higgs had overlooked she thought. There had to be a maneuver she could surprise him with. He might be more experienced but he didn't know everything. Slytherins were not usually admired for their study habits. But than neither were most Gryffindors.

She tried a swift left-handed Stasky swerve but Higgs followed her tightly through this and as she tried to shake him with a sudden reverse 'S', he anticipated and cut tighter and suddenly was above her and in perfect position.

He shouted _"INCENDIO!" and despite Alicia's almost __reflexive shield spell,_ she was too late and her twigs burst into flame.

The Firebolt sputtered and nosed over; trailing smoke it went into an out of control spin. Higgs pounced on her and as she vainly struggled to control the broom and extinguish the fire; bracketed her with stunning spells. One hit and her limp body plummeted silently from her broom, head first. Ace Higgs had another kill.

But he followed her down and raised his wand again just as a nearby voice screamed: "ALICIA!" and Spinnet's body halted in mid-air, her head dangling just feet above the ground.

Higgs looked over his shoulder to see Oliver Wood flying towards him in full out storm mode. Woods had apparently saved Spinnet with a silent _Corpus Leviosa spell._

"Higgs, I told you that you could practice broom dueling with my new star chaser, not kill her**!**" roared the Puddlemere United captain. "We play the first place Tornadoes next week and I'd prefer everyone be alive for the game!"

"Oliver, I had it in control, she was in no danger," insisted Higgs as Wood went over to Alicia and grabbed one of her feet to spin her upright, and then pulled her gently to his chest and landed.

Higgs noticed that the lithe and fit girl seemed light as a feather in Woods arms. He landed beside Wood and shouted _"__**RE**__**ENERVATE!**__" _

Alicia stirred and moaned slightly. "Are you, alright Alicia?" Wood quarried. .

Spinnet opened her eyes and winced. "Bad, Headache Oliver, but I think I'll be all right."

He helped her stand.

"Although you can't say the same for my broom," she added staring at the smoking and smoldering pieces scattered about the pitch. "Good thing I have a ministry tab."

She looked at Higgs. He was about four years older then her and lanky and had been a full fledged Auror for a year. His limbs were strong and his hair dark. He was wearing sunglasses. He projected even more self-confidence then Wood, if that was possible. He did not seem to have the typical body for a seeker, but he had proven to be very quick and agile. "I can see why Oliver wanted you on our team. You'll make a great seeker," she said.

"It's about more than Quidditch."

"Of course it is, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate that we may win a few more games now," insisted Alicia.

"It doesn't matter how many games we win, if the Dark Lord wins the war."

"That won't happen," said Oliver fiercely.

"You seem sure."

"I know Harry!"

"He is a boy," said Higgs scornfully. "And a boy...even the boy-who-lived is not enough to defeat Voldemort on his own." Alicia and Oliver winced.

"That is why the ministry is trying to help him. Rufus told me personally that he is going to talk to Harry himself at Dumbledore's funeral," stated Wood. "Harry has to know that he can't do this alone. He has to accept the ministries help."

"The rumors are that Harry turned him down at Christmas," said Higgs.

"But that was before Dumbledore died… Surely, Harry will have come to his senses by now?"

"I don't know," said Alicia. "Harry can be stubborn at times."

"But even he –"

"He hasn't even told McGonagall where they went that night. Angelina is going to try to get it out of him, but it has been three days since the headmaster's death, surely if he was going to tell her he would have told her that night, but according to Tonks he has refused; saying he has orders from Dumbledore."

Oliver looked confused. "The man is dead, surely--"

"Angelina didn't seem at all sure that she could get it out of him," she mused and added sadly: "I still can't believe Dumbledore is dead…I wish we could've gone to the funeral."

"We had too much to do... too much to investigate here and in London. We still don't know which death eaters have penetrated the sports ministry. We do know some are trying to manipulate the outcome of muggle football contests, in order to raise funds for you-know-who from betting operations. That whole Wigan Athletic foot problem must be a Death Eater curse gone wrong. But we aren't close to bringing them down. Alicia, we couldn't stop our investigations even for that great man. We don't know what thread will lead to he-who-must-not be-named."

Alicia nodded, understanding how much Wood emotional and physical capital Wood had invested in their mission and team. And how much the bumbling jock cared. The death of their truly good former Headmaster had affected them all. It was almost as if hope itself had been sucked from the world, leaving a desperate despair.

For the last few days even for Wood Quidditch had taken a back seat to current events and duty. But still, Wood had standards. And the team hadn't practiced actual Quidditch much lately. That could cost them, if they played awful against the Tornadoes, it might raise some suspicions within the Sports Ministry. Puddlemere was supposed to have a decent team this year.

"For how much longer do you two need to practice dueling, Terrance?"

"A couple more hours today …but this is only the beginning, she has a lot to learn."

"Ok…but I want at least one hour of actual Quidditch practice. It may be only our cover, but I would prefer not to be embarrassed every game."

"Don't worry Oliver; broom dueling practice does have some advantages," said Higgs grinning. "If you thought she could duck bludgers before wait until I'm done with her!"

_**"**Accio Practice Broom!"_cried Oliver and a new practice broom approached. "Here Alicia, use one of our Cleansweeps for today. First thing in the morning, we'll order you a new top of the line Firebolt."

Alicia grabbed the handle as it came within reach and mounted-up. Wood flew off to check on the rest of their team and divide them into dueling pairs. No one except the minister himself knew that the entire Puddlemere United team was made up of undercover Aurors and Aurorial Apprentices. Unfortunately although many had experience in either Quidditch or battle, few had both.

Alicia and Terrance kicked off and gained attitude, slowly flying side-by-side. "Don't think I'm going to take it easy on you Spinnet, just because you have a practice broom. But I will admit one thing. You have potential, that first duel took about twice as long as I had planned."

"So, what did I do wrong?" said Alicia.

"Everything! Just only half as badly as I expected. You read the book I sent you, didn't you?"

"The whole damn thing."

"Good. Then what are the five stages of aerial combat?"

Alicia knew the answer.

"One. Detect. Find the enemy before he finds you. Location Spells are useful here."

Higgs nodded.

"Two. Close in: Try to move in without being seen and shoot the enemy down. You might want to use certain obscuring or camouflage spells to assist you."

He nodded again. "What else can use to conceal yourself while you're closing in?"

"Natural things? Clouds and you used the setting sun."

"Right! Now you did a good job of turning away when you detected the attack, but I was too close. How could you have avoided that?"

"An Anti-glare charm?"

"Right! Make sure you are always ready to cast those. Muggle sun glasses work well too," he said raising his shades to make the point. "What's third?"

"Three. Attacking. Don't attack from out of range. Start with long range spells and then switch to shorter range spells as you move in. Remember to aim accurately. You may need to move your broom as well as your wand to obtain the proper deflection angle."

He smiled at her. He had a good smile. Full of clean white pearly teeth.

"If you don't win on your first pass you'll have to go on to stage four: Maneuvering," she continued. "Maneuvering is all about getting in a position to fire. Muggles often call this dogfighting. The goal however is not to dogfight at all and if you are successful in detecting, closing in and attacking the enemy you won't need to."

"Right! What muggles call dogfighting we often call magical maneuvering but it's the same thing. When should you magically maneuver?"

"You should magically maneuver whenever: both sides detect each other at the same time, or the enemy successfully evades during your closing or you fail to down the enemies broom during the attack."

"Good" said Higgs. "And Lastly?"

"Lastly is disengaging; which means putting space between you and your enemy so that you're out of the fight. Obscuring spells may be useful here as well. And of course, if you can manage to land you may apparate away."

"Good!" You sound way to much like a certain Gryffindor girl I know named Hermione Granger."

"Harry's friend? You know her?"

"Victor Krum introduced her to me two summers ago, when they were dating. It is amazing that Victor was interested in a girl who couldn't fly; you should have seen the hilarity when he tried to teach her. You see flying is not something you can wholly learn from books and I think that idea terrified Ms. Granger."

He paused for a moment and then turned to look directly at her. "This time Alicia, you really are the chaser," he said and rocketed off on his Firebolt. Alicia followed along at a slower pace on her older Cleansweep.

For about an hour they twirled and twisted, dipped and zipped, slipped, dodged, hexed and vexed, charmed, swarmed, swore, swerved, curved, cursed and reversed. Wood had released three dozen bludgers to complicate their practice and it wasn't long before the sky began to resemble a knot of glowing rainbows, which the local muggles took for the beginning of a weird looking but spectacular sunset.

At one point Alicia thought Higgs was hers but he expertly pulled a rolling scissors and gained the advantage. Five times he sent her spinning to the ground. And five times Alicia summoned new Cleansweeps from the closet. Five times she kicked off and went at him again. But the most she was able to do was blacken his face with the backfire from a close range Incendio.

About seven as it started to grow truly dark, Alicia attempted to sideslip another stunner from Higgs, but as she jagged Wood suddenly loomed up in her path, frantically blowing his whistle and waving his arms; She braked hard and pulled up hard, barely missing him.

"PRACTICE IS OVER! PRACTICE IS OVER!" He shouted. EVERYONE DESCEND!" Twenty brooms landed. This wasn't odd. It was getting very dark and it was dangerous to dodge bludgers and spells in the dark, but he seemed even more frantic than usual.

They gathered around him. An unfamiliar Auror stood next to him in smudged and torn robes. "Everyone we have a mission. The muggle Prime Minister is under attack!" said Wood.

"10 Downing St?" asked Richard Bollers one of the reserve Beaters.

"YES!"

"But, we'll blow our cover." said Wilma White a blond starting Chaser and so far Alicia's best friend on the team, other then Oliver.

"No help for that," said the mysterious Auror ducking a bludger that came screaming down at the group; Bollers off-handedly whacked it away.

"Puddlemere United will just have to come to the rescue. These orders come directly from the Minister of Magic himself. We have to go immediately. Rufus has called in every re-enforcement he can find. I was just there. Shacklebolt is hard pressed and may not be able to hold for long and may need extraction. We have Aurors and magical law enforcement officers scattered all over the country fighting you-know-who and his minions. Whatever reserve there is, has been assigned to defend the Hogwarts Express and that's under attack too. You are about all that is left."

Several players let out cries of dismay.

"We must leave now!" said Oliver. "We can apparate to within two blocks of 10 Downing and then we are to go in by broom. Rufus doesn't think they will expect an aerial attack. In 1 minute we're to apparate to the corner of Storey's Gate and Great George Street opposite the Treasury."

He took a breath.

"The starters will follow me on a loop over the Thames and then right down the throat of Downing Street. Low altitude. We will strife them. Don't worry if the muggles see us, but try not to hit them. We will worry about the consequences latter."

"Second team and reserves! Anders will be in charge!"

He pointed to a small dark haired witch in her late forties who snapped to attention. Joyce Anders was the oldest member of the team and served as a reserve Chaser. Aside from Higgs she was the only member of the team with actual broom fighting experience and before she had retired to have her children was a star of English Quidditch. It was a wise choice by Wood to make her the leader of the second team.

"Second team is to fly-up the Horse Guards Road alongside St. James Park and approach Downing Street from the rear. We will try to catch them in a pincer."

"Any questions? Good. Everyone have their wands and know where we're going? Everyone's broom ready?" Many looked dazed, but everyone seemed ready according to the criteria Wood had just listed. No one raised a hand.

"Good then on 1. 10... 9...8…" He looked at his watch and started counting down.

Alicia was in complete disbelief. She had joined the team just days ago. She knew she could fly, Harry had taught her how to fight, but dogfighting? She had just had an hours practice and now she was about to be thrown into combat on an inferior broom. How would she cope?

Wood reached the bottom of the count and then twenty Puddlemere United players in unison turned on their heels and vanished; leaving the twilight pitch to the vain buzzing of lonely bludgers and the cries of early evening crickets.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Chapter 23: **

a/n So what did you think? I appreciate reviews whether good or critical because they help to improve my writing.

Pi is what is called an illogical number. Real Arithmancers would find Pi especially difficult because there is no pattern to it; no matter how much you extend it and Arithmancy is the study of number patterns. William Shank was a real Pi researcher BTW.

To clear-up any confusion. Vector sent the message using Zabini's Owl Lilith. I made some very minor corrections to Ron and the Riot to clarify the point.

**Chapter 24: **Shocking ending to the chapter right? I like reviews whether complimentary or critical because they help me to improve my writing. So What did you think? Did you catch where the Patil's are? If not re-read it again because even though I made it obvious I'm sure people will miss it.

To be honest now that I'm done writing this, I should've just had the Patil's wandering the streets of London looking for the Indian Consulate and stumbling into the attack on Downing Street that would have been easier. But this was more fun.

I enjoyed writing all three of these little tidbits because these are all character scenes, and the PM really is an OC.

Wigan Athletic for those American's like me who don't know British Football from Shepard's Pie is the team that won the 2nd Division of the Premier League in 1997. I picked them because Wigan sounds somewhat like 'Wican' and then lucked out by finding out that they won their league that year. So that is historically accurate.

MY PM is meant to closely match the PM in charge in 1997 and his issues except mine had more kids. He really did live in 11 Downing Street instead of 10 as he had too many kids for the apartment in 10.

I've also carefully researched the muggle military and police units that will get involved in this and the approaches to Downing Street, the palaces, barracks and the layout of St. James Park and the defenses of Downing Street and the layout of the building in Westminster including the palaces. Except for the magic parts in a further chapter I will try to make this a pretty convincing attack.

The word brume means a cold wintry fog or mist. Scacchic means of our pertaining to chess. A very rare word.

And lastly. Yes you did just read the start of a Hannah/Dudley ship. I'm about as shocked as you. That wasn't in the plan. LOL!

**Chapter 25:**

a/n So what did you think? Did I do a good job showing a broom fight? The 5 rules of aerial fighting are from a Japanese Fighter Manual form 1943 at the website for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2.

What do you think about the impending mission, can Alicia survive with an inferior broom? So please leave a review. I'm interested in review, even critical ones as they help me to improve.


	12. Chapter 26

a/n All this belongs to JKR. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

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Harry Potter & The Choices of the Heart

by DA Jones aka Ydnas Odell

**Chapter 26: Rescue the Ravenclaws**

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* * *

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Quote:

_And if I go while you're still here…  
Know that I live on  
Vibrating to a different measure  
Behind a thin veil you cannot see through  
You will not see me, so you must have faith  
I wait for the time when we can soar together again both aware of each other.  
Until then live your life to the fullest  
And when you need me, just whisper your name  
In your heart and I will be there. _

_Attribution: Ascesion by Collen Hitchcock _

* * *

About forty-five minutes before the Hogwarts Express came under attack, acting Headmistress Minerva McGonagall was sitting at what she still thought of as Dumbledore's desk rubbing her temples. The weight of the evacuation and more was on her mind.

The school had never been evacuated before, this 'early dismissal ' was unprecedented and besides her serious concerns about the safety of her students there were other more mundane questions; not the least of which involved the O.W.L.S and the N.E.W.T.S neither of which had been given.

And then there was the war. The Order had yet to decide on a new leader, but she suspected that it would elect her whether she wanted the job or not. It was enough to run Hogwarts. She was exhausted just doing that. How Albus had managed to do all this for so many years when he was nearly twice her age she didn't know.

But there were more immediate concerns. Ms. Johnson had relayed what had occurred in the room of requirements to her and she had then sent Angelina to find all four of Ms. Parkinson's parents and her step-brother Anthony Goldstein so she could break the bad news to them.

She was still in shock. The only worse news that Angelina could have relayed was that Voldemort was attacking. Pansy Parkinson was dead or as close to it as could matter. And Luna Lovegood that odd friend of Mr. Potter, that Ravenclaw who had helped him at the Department of Mysteries and who was the daughter of the Quibbler publisher had killed her.

McGonagall blamed herself though. She had thought that sending Parkinson to the DA meeting was the right thing to do. The sorting hat had warned about the need to unite the houses and if school opened next year Potter would need friends in Slytherin.

And there was also the fact that if the plan was going to work at all, a Slytherin prefect needed to be part of it. She supposed she could have chosen Leanne Lane to help with this mission, but Leanne Lane was a seventh year and if she was going to include a Slytherin she knew that it had to be one that could help Harry next year.

Despite Pansy's relationship with that boy Malfoy, McGonagall had a sense that Ms. Parkinson might be trustworthy. True, both families were pure-bloods but as far as she knew, no Parkinson or Goldstein was or had ever been a Death Eater and Anthony's father had even been a low-ranking member of the Order of the Phoenix during the first war.

Also, Pansy had been legitimate friends during her pre-Hogwarts childhood with the Patil twins, and both Patils were among the DA and friends with Harry.

And there was also the influence that her step-brother Anthony might have on Pansy. Flitwick had told her that Anthony was a good student, kind, especially talented in charms and herbology and exceptionally quiet. He had only ever served detention under Umbridge.

But Ms. Lovegood had undone all her plans. She had only been Acting Headmistress for three days and already was a failure. And now she had to tell parents, four of them that, their daughter was dead. She looked behind her at the portrait of Dumbledore and wished for some advice.

But the portrait was still silent, still slumbering. Not that Dumbledore could've helped her. As far she could recall Dumbledore had never had to report the death of a student to their parents. Harry had brought Diggory's body back in full view of everyone including his parents, so although Dumbledore had done his best to comfort them he had never had to announce the death.

Other than Cedric, the only student that had died at Hogwarts in the last two-hundred years had been Myrtle Myers, but Dippet had been Headmaster then and Flitwick had often told McGonagall the tragic story of how Ms. Myers's own ghost had saved Dippet the trouble of announcing her death by telling her own parents and haunting her housemates. The worst part of Flitwick's story beyond poor Ms. Myers's death was that the Ministry had obliviated the memories of her muggle parents and few friends so that only Flitwick and Olive Hornby seemed to remember Myrtle.

True, there were times when Dumbledore had to announce serious injuries and report to parents that their students were missing. The cases of Ginny Weasley, and Katie Bell had been heartbreaking and explaining to the muggle patents of Penelope. Justin and Hermione that their children had been turned into living stone hadn't been easy, but he had never told someone that their child was dead; which she knew she would have to do now, unless Pomfrey pulled a miracle.

As she waited for Ms. Johnson to bring the Parkinson's and Goldstein's to her office, McGonagall re-read the thick file that the Ministry had so graciously given her on the background of Pansy's family.

According to the file, Pansy and Anthony's parents had a complicated relationship. But the fact that Mr. Goldstein had been raised by the same people as Ms. Parkinson and still had turned out mostly all right strongly encouraged her vague sense that Pansy had not yet committed herself to the Dark.

There was a knock on the door. With trepidation McGonagall rose from her seat and admitted first Angelina and then the Parkinsons and Goldsteins. Then she conjured four chairs, had them sit and dismissed Angelina to find Anthony.

She examined her anxious guests. The olive skinned gentlemen that sat on her far right she knew well. Ira Goldstein's spectacles sat high on thin regal nose, commanding a roughly weathered face that seemed scarred with sorrow. His four-o'clock shadow was gray as stone and his brown threadbare, patched robes were of a class that may have even been rejected by Remus Lupin. Sadly, the scent of alcohol lay thickly on Ira as he crouched in wasted pain. Ira's cancer of the liver had worsened in recent months and McGonagall greatly feared that this news about Pansy would drain what little life remained in her old tormented friend. She had already sent a house-elf to Rosmerta and Aberforth with a warning.

Ira had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix during the first part of the Voldemort War. Once a successful and hard working sales man, writer and co-publisher of a then saner Quibbler, he had nearly fallen apart after the Order had been unable to prevent the assassination of his pregnant wife Michael.

Luckily, the St. Mungo's healers had been able to induce birth and Anthony had survived. However, Ira had become a drunk and a liability to the Order, so Dumbledore had been forced to erase his memory of it.

Since Michael's death and Anthony's birth Ira he had been divorced twice and now lived with a young muggle peppy Irish barmaid named Jessica O'Malley in somewhere in the vicinity of Surrey. He still held a job as a bookkeeper and potion assistant with a dodgy apothecary in Knockturn Alley; but only because of his potion skill and the fact that the owner was even further gone to alcohol than Ira.

To his left sat Ira's ex-third wife: Ponsettia Goldstein who was also Pansy's mother and Anthony's second step-mother. This short dumpy black haired pug-faced woman in a clean grey second-hand robe was called Pony by nearly everyone who knew her. Pony had been married twice and was a part-time healer and research assistant at the Von Hohenheim Institute for the Study of Muggle Medicine and Alchemy. It was not a surprise to McGonagall given Poinsettia's chosen occupation that she had been a Ravenclaw.

The second witch sat directly opposite McGonagall. She was a tall, long-fingered and long-legged, prim, haughty blond about half McGonagall's age who wore a fine black silken robe bedizened with tiny diamond, pearl and emerald buttons that were sown with golden thread. This elegant but conceited woman was Anthony's mother. Her name was Greta Van der Groot-Parkinson and she was a model and a portrait painter of some renown. She had married Ira within a year of Anthony's birth, then about five years latter had divorced him (taking all of Ira's small fortune in the process) to marry her lover, one of her portrait subjects -- Pansy's father, McGonagall's last guest – Stan "The Man" Parkinson .

Stanley was a fat, plumber hairy, big-boned, big-jowled, ham fisted, short, thick necked pure-blood about McGonagall's age with a distinctly muliebrious air to his tone. He was wearing lipstick and a pink robe that not only flashed in silver: '#17 Stan the Man! # 17 Stan the Man!' over and over but also whispered it via a tin-voiced repeater charm. To McGonagall's vast distaste Stanley was also chomping a cigar and swishing his bare hairy crossed legs.

He was about forty years older than his beloved second wife Greta and had been part of Tom Riddle's Hogwarts circle while in school, but the Ministry had no record of him ever being a Death Eater.

He was a former Hall-of-fame beater for the French Quidditch team the Quiberon Quafflepunchers, which explained the pink robe, since shocking pink was still the official team color of the Quafflepunchers and he had never stopped living in his past.

Despite his oddly high effeminate voice, Stanley had ruled both his Slytherin Quidditch team and the Quafflepunchers as if he owned them via divine right. He had always been a both first class cheater as well as well as beater and it sometimes seemed to McGonagall that she still bore the bruise on her knee from the illegally back-beated bludger Stanley had hit that had stopped her from scoring the winning goal in during the Gryffindor-Slytherin final of 1946.

Both Anthony and Pansy had lived mostly with Ira and Poinsettia while growing up, at least until Ira and Poinsettia had divorced about a year after the step-siblings had started Hogwarts. After the divorce Pansy had spent half of each summer with her mother Poinsettia and the other half with Stanley and Greta.

Meanwhile Anthony had spent each summer with his father Ira trying to keep him together, except for the year when Ira completely fell apart and the muggle social services had been forced to step in.

Fortunately his foster family that summer had a lot better then Harry's real one. And Poinsettia, who had stayed in close-contact with her ex step-son, had done what she could to keep it from happening again even though her parental rights were limited.

Apparently during the time Anthony had lived with Pony she had also inspired within him a love of reading and learning, which explained why he was a Ravenclaw instead of a Hufflepuff like both of his biological parents or a Slytherin like Pansy.

McGonagall cleared her throat, and began as gently as she could: "I'm afraid I have some unpleasant news for you..." but was cut off as the door opened and Anthony Goldstein pried away from Angelina's grasp and stumbled in to cry to Ira:

"Dad Pansy's dead! Luna Lovegood killed her! Oh, Merlin Pansy's dead, dad! I didn't want to believe it, but it's true. Pansy's dead!"

The teenager climbed into his fathers lap then, less like a small child seeking protection than one giving protection as Ira broke down into instant sobs, and Pony cried out just one "No!"

Stanley opened his mouth so wide that his cigar fell out and Greta instantly turned to McGonagall with an accusing finger and an angry snarl: "I'll have your head for this you incompetent!"

McGonagall spread her arms in mild supplication. "I'm truly sorry!"

"If what our son says is true, our daughter has died! You should be a lot more than just sorry!"

"Ms. Van der Groot-Parkinson….I…"

"I want your head do you understand me….it's your lax supervision and your mud-blood inclusion policies that has allowed this too happen."

"Excuse me," said McGonagall "I'll ignore your choice of words because you're upset, but Hogwart's policy towards the muggle-born has nothing to do with what happened. In case you weren't aware Ms. Lovegood is a pure-blood. She's the daughter of Mr. Goldstein's ex publishing partner Xenophilius Lovegood. Also Pansy may not be dead, it's true that she was assaulted, but the outcome…is… uncertain, however you should prepare yourself for the worst. Aurors and our healer Madam Pomfrey are still investigating her condition at this moment….if you would just…."

"W-Where is S-she, I want to see her?" said Pony over Ira's sobs. Her face was calcium pale, her hands shaking. She looked like she was about to collapse.

Anthony said: "Ma Pony?"

"As soon as Tonks has her report, " began McGonagall "I'll…"

Stanley had picked up his cigar and chomped down on it again. His face was hard but stricken. "Minerva, the women just want to see their child."

"Pansy's not her child," said Pony, she's mine and…God"

"God? said Greta. "Do you see what your merciful God did, he took your daughter?"

But Pony just looked down and then said softly: "If he took her that was part of his divine plan. She's better of there. As Jesus said according to Luke: 'Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.' Pansy is in the kingdom of heaven now, we should be happy for her, at least that is what I'm telling myself."

"She was murdered Pony. What do you want to happen to this Luna? I want her dead, but we don't have capital punishment. So, let her rot in Azkaban."

"If she's murdered Pansy then Luna will suffer in hell."

"I don't think so, "said Anthony….I really think now that it was an accident. I was mad…I am mad…but…."

"Then God will show her mercy…and I'll set my heart to try also, but…I don't want my daughter to be dead."

"I…think she is Ma Pony."

"Tony." Anthony hugged her as they both cried.

Greta said: "I want this Luna in Azkaban, Miss McGonagall. I remember her name, she was one of those that accompanied Harry Potter to the Ministry, one of those insane Slytherin persecutors who think every Slytherin is a Death Eater…and now it's progressed to the murder of my daughter. Pansy was innocent; she had nothing to due with the Dark Lord and...

"But you do…" said Ira suddenly standing up.

"Ira," said Pony soothingly reaching a hand for his shoulder "you've been drinking and…."

"Mister Goldstein," said Stanley with disconcerting melodious anger: "I'd take that statement back if I were you." McGonagall had never met a man who could sound more pleasant while berating and beating the tar out of you.

"Why? It's true. Pansy was a good girl, maybe a little conceited like her father, but kind and smart like her mother, but ever since the divorce; after she started visiting you she's become uncaring, moody, a racist …I don't know what dark .propaganda you've been feeding her, but she's changed….her souls growing black. You're in league with You-Know-Who."

Stanley and Greta stood up pushing back their chairs.

"Now…please…if you…" said McGonagall caught off-guard by the suddenness of Ira's actions.

Stanley was pointing his cigar at Ira. "If you're accusing us of such a thing you'd better have proof Mr. Goldstein. You'd better have proof because I'll not have my honor, or the honor of my wife smeared in such a manner."

."I'm not just accusing you, Stan. I know its true, if you thought you could hide your activities in Knockturn Alley."

"You're on dangerous ground Mr. Goldstein."

Suddenly Ira had grabbed Greta's left arm. "Unhand my wife!" said 'the man' going for his wand.

But Ira was quicker and waving his wand said: "Secopinguesco!" A section of silk from the upper portion of Greta's sleeve peeled away, clearly revealing a dark mark as well as a frilly pink bra strap.

"See!"

Greta both pulled her arm away and whipped out her wand in one motion. She shouted, there was a sudden flash of green and a horrid roar and Ira toppled to the ground dead while Anthony jumped back in shock. Pony pulled him with her behind McGonagall.

"Now you know, "said Greta coldly "but like Ira you won't live long enough to tell anyone."

Then Stanley cried "Mos Mordre!" and a dark mark leapt-up sacrilegiously into the remains of Dumbledore's office.

Minerva raised her wand hissing for Anthony and Pony to stay behind her.

"Killing you Minerva," squealed Stanley in his high-pitched Minnie Mouse voice while twirling his cigar in one hand and pointing his wand at steadily at McGonagall with the other "should be a big boost for our career. I was contemplating doing it earlier, but poor Ira gave us a reason, and I daresay Greta will receive points for killing a member of the old Order of the Phoenix. Though you Minerva will undoubtedly be worth far far more. He'll probably give us a point or two for Pony also seeing as she's a mud-blood lover. See Minerva, we aren't fully in the Dark Lord's good graces."

"Oh, I doubt he has any good graces."

"Believe it or not he he does. And believe me it's something that you always want to be on right side of and unfortunately he has doubted the veracity of my claims that Pansy would join our cause. I understand why. My daughter has hesitated. That's Pony's fault. She's filled Pansy's head with religion and lies about the mud-bloods being harmless."

"The Dark Lord had ordered me to kill Pansy if she refused to take the mark. I didn't think I could; but it seems this Luna may have saved me the trouble, not that I prefer it." He sniffed. "Look at me; I'm getting all teary eyed. Poor daughter. Don't get me wrong I'm heartbroken, I'm sure I'll bawl later – when it hits me -- but Pansy was a failure, far to soft…that is again Pony's fault. I should've never married a Ravenclaw …

"Now as for you Minerva. It's a pity your reign as headmistress will be so short, I suppose it will set a new record…I like setting records, for instance most chasers whacked in a French Quidditch league final, don't you know…anyway, that's enough rambling. Back to business, so …Avada Kedavra!"

McGonagall dove right as the portrait of Dippet exploded over her shoulder. She rolled well for her age and came up to fire a stunner wide as Greta and Stanley closed and Anthony and Pony moved to hide under the headmaster's desk.

Stanley's wand flashed again; but with a wordless spell McGonagall sent some of Dumbledore's silver instruments flying to intercept Stanley's second killing curse. They exploded and with satisfaction she saw that some of them slice Greta's cheek.

Meanwhile, Anthony was struggling to free himself from Pony's grasp. This must be horrible for him thought Minerva. His sister was probably dead and he had just seen one of his step-moms murder his father. Suddenly he broke free to dash in front of her. He stood resolutely while Pony shouted fruitlessly at him to come back.

"I'd move Anthony," said Greta with a sneer. "You're no blood to us, we've killed your father, and you mean no more..."

"I won't let you hurt the professor and if you think that Pansy would…than you don't know your step-daughter."

"She doesn't even talk to you."

"She's my sister."

"No, she's not. She's not even blood."

"She's my sister."

"Have it your way than, Tony."

Wands flared again, Minerva tried desperately to protect her student.

Everything went black.

* * *

War is often random and therefore the stupid sometimes live far longer then the odds say they should and even the best prepared, the most experienced, the most alert and the best trained can be ambushed by chance.

Angelina Johnson was well trained and prepared, but being an Auror's Apprentice meant that she was neither experienced nor always alert. The true meaning of Mad-Eye Moody's refrain of: "Constant Vigilance" had yet to sink fully into her marrow and therefore a Reducto curse had nearly sunk her marrow into the wall. Only her natural luck and Quidditch honed reflexes had enabled her to dive away and come up only partially scathed.

So now, as she lay almost flat behind the small pile of Reducto rubble, rubbing her left arm and periodically exchanging hexes with her unknown and hidden advisory, she cursed her idiocy.

She had thought her task simple and happy. Pansy Parkinson was alive. Granted she wasn't sure that Pansy wasn't a Death Eater, but Pansy was only sixteen and no sixteen year old deserved to die, no matter how misguided their cause; plus Angelina hadn't fancied arresting Luna for Pansy's murder. So glad and almost smiling the Auror had given the password and climbed past the Gargoyle up the stairs to what had once been Dumbledore's office.

Her mind on the good news she had for Pansy's parents, she hadn't considered the odd fact that the stairs had stopped, or the possibility that as she climbed these stairs she was climbing into a nest of Death Eaters. She had forgotten the critical fact that if Pansy supported you-know-who then it was likely that at least one of her parents did too.

She had almost paid for her forgetfulness with her left arm, she was lucky that it was only severely bruised as a result of explosive blowback from the large hole the curse had made in the wall.

She should have refused to leave McGonagall alone. It was an asinine bit of judgment to do that even if McGonagall had ordered it. She had left the professor alone with five potential Death Eaters; Pansy and Anthony's four parents and Anthony himself, because she didn't know enough about him to rule him out. After all, he might not be in a good mood. He thought his sister was dead at the hands of Luna and that sort of thing might change your mind about whose side you were on in a hurry.

Maybe McGonagall could deal with them. She was a Hogwarts Professor after all and a leader of the Order of the Phoenix, but neither Tonks nor anyone else Angelina had met in the Order had seemed overly impressed with the Professor's dueling skills.

It would be her fault if McGonagall was killed or captured and neither Hogwarts or the Ministry nor the Order could take that loss, not after Snape had killed Dumbledore.

No matter what, she had to try to get to McGonagall and also rescue her fellow DA member if he turned out to be on her side. However, she had nothing but disadvantages. Her advisory was more experienced and powerful; one or two of the hexes Angelina had dodged, she had never seen before, and stairs especially when the advisory held the high ground were bad places to duel.

All the aurorial guides stressed that they must be avoided. But these stairs, since they wound up the inside of the Headmaster's tower were tightly curved. And it was this serpentine nature along with her old Quidditch instincts that had saved her.

For magic when dependent on light to transfer its effects (which was often) couldn't bend. Therefore, aiming and a clean line of sight was needed for most offensive combat spells; except for extremely powerful area of effect spells; such as elemental weather spells and these were by nature so massive that they often had unintentional and unpredictable consequences and so were rarely used in combat . Certainly not in one on one situations.

The bottom line was that the curved environment cut the combat range for both combatants. They would both have to sneak close to aim a spell properly.

Since the enemy held the high-ground the smart thing to do would be to back away and seek help.

But she heard voices and shouts up ahead. Some of those shouts were hexes and curses and at least some of them were coming from a young boy. That meant that Anthony was alive and the nature of the curses she had heard him shout rather implied that he was on her side, but she couldn't really be sure and she had no idea about McGonagall.

However if Anthony was on her side, they had a Death Eater or Death Eaters trapped between them and the enemy didn't know that she could communicate with Anthony. She had to take a chance and try to talk with him. Doing so couldn't make the situation worse.

Just then a cutting curse found its way through a gap in the rubble and nicked the heel of her right boot but it drew only leather. Angelina fired back, but she was high of her mark and only crumbled part of the ceiling; which did force her opponent to scramble back.

Taking advantage of the momentary loll, Angelina activated her Audiowyrm. Whispering slowly and clearly she said: "Anthony, this is Angelina. Are you ok? I'm coming for you. What is your situation over? Over."

A few seconds latter an out of breathe and agitated Anthony spoke very hurriedly, but as if through gritted teeth:

"Angelina…_Sopor!_ Some of my parents…_Protego!... _are on you-know-who's side, Over."

His words over the Audiowyrm were punctuated by spells; Sopor was a sleeping spell and as he spoke she could hear booms from upstairs and see shadows and flashes play across the higher walls of the vaulted tower.

Anthony was putting up a determined but careful defense, as he was afraid to hurt anyone. Which was understandable, he was dueling his parents, but Angelina knew he was in an almost impossible situation, one the Auror training books said those on the side of the light who were too close often didn't realize until too late -- the worst of their opponents never hesitated to kill - and relatives, even son's or daughters who had the gall to oppose them were simply no longer relatives; but according to the ideology of the Death Eaters: flaws, filth, vermin --stains from their past that tended to excised via cold execution.

Since Anthony had defied them, it was likely that his step-parents if they were any sort of Death Eaters were willing to kill him. Their ideology meant that he now meant no more to them than a sentimental flea. But the innocent placed so much faith in love.

The first step was to keep him calm. Magic combat took wits; as well as courage; it was no simple 12:00 noon gunfight.

"Angelina, you're not going to—Respraymius_!" __There was the sound of a small explosion in the background. "You're not going to kill them are you?"_

Anthony, you need..." she paused. Her opponent on the stairs had just taken a run at her. So she copied Anthony….Respraymius! She missed low barely, but that was her intent for the stair just below the charging witch exploded, showering her with stone particles and leaving a gap in the stairs. The witch retreated. Respraymius was less powerful then Reducto, but more specific, for it could cause a chosen object to explode from within.

"Anthony, she said softly. I know it's painful but you may need to consider doing it; because they WILL consider it…listen, which parents are you talking about? Over."

"Angelina, Mum Greta and Man-da. Over. "

"Anthony, the thin rich bitch and the fat quidditch star? Over"

"Angelina, Yes and I'm pinned with Ma-Pony; Pansy's mother behind the Headmistress's desk. My Dad is dead. Greta killed him….she and Pansy's father are Death Eaters….I don't know how I…The door is open. Over."

Of course it was. That is why she could hear the dueling and see the flashes. "Angelina, how is Pansy? Over."

"Anthony, your sister is going to be alright and I'm sorry about your dad. Hang-on a bit longer…I'm going to force my way up there…as soon as I find a way past the sneaky witch down here. That would be Greta I presume…

"Angelina…please don't hurt her. She killed Dad...but...Over."

"I may have too, Anthony. I'll try not to. How's McGonagall, Over."

* * *

As Angelina Johnson awaited Anthony's reply and contemplated trying to fight her way up the stairs; in the hospital wing Cho Chang stared incomprehensively.

What was that House-Elf doing, jumping on Michael's chest with bare feet? What was the other one doing alternatively pressing a rag to a bleeding wound and then breathing into his mouth with some sort of device? Michael was not dead. Despite what the ceiling and nearby buzzing alarms said, he was not dead. Michael was not dead!

She tried to move toward him, but one of the house-elves paused from his efforts to block Cho's path.

"Misses you must stay out way. Dobby and Wickers do all they can for young man."

She stepped over the house-elf and d pulled her wand: _"RENNERVATE"_ But there was no noticeable change. It was then through her tears that she noticed that the House-Elf jumping on Michael's chest was wearing miniature human clothes. He looked familiar; he was the house-elf from the DA Meetings, Harry's House-Elf.

"DOBBY, WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM!"

The rag clothed house-elf tried to move her back away from the table again.

"Your young sir is injured. He not breathing, say Dobby."

Frantic Cho looked around. Madam Pomfrey's fading spirit floated in the nearby corner watching as Dobby continued to frantically jump just below Michael's bloody sternum and count to fifteen while the other House-Elf blow air into Michael's mouth through a thick wooden straw every fifteen seconds.

"MADAM POMFREY HELP HIM!"

"I'm sorry child…..there's nothing I can do."

"You have to do something!"

"Ms. Chang listen to me. He's been stabbed in the chest with a poisoned dagger. It's done considerable damage to his lungs and heart. Even if I were alive, which I'm not, it would be hard to save him. I can't hold a wand in this state and I'm not sure a whole team of living healers….but I'll try child. I'll try. But I'll need your help! What the House-Elves are trying to do is admirable but they are too small to be very good at it."

"What are they doing? Their not hurting him?"

"Muggle CPR. As you can see the spells didn't work, not even House-Elf spells. You have to understand that Michael is clinically dead. If McGonagall opens the floo maybe there's a small chance that he can be revived at St. Mungo's, but only a small chance. To give him any chance you'll have to breathe for him and make his heart beat. We also have to so something to stop some of the bleeding. You need to know the odds of this working are very slim."

"I love him. ...so I have to try."

"I know dear. I wish I could hug you…Dobby, there's some Ephedra and Mandrake powder on the third shelf from the top shelf and also retrieve the Pseudoginseng on the fifth shelf and as many blood replenishing potions as you can find. Bring them all here and give them to Ms. Chang. Wicky show Ms. Chang what you have been doing, while I verbally explain, quickly -- we don't have much time. Now Ms. Chang, you can be vastly more efficient at this then the House-elves, what you must do is place your hands three fingers width below the breastbone…."

Cho had never paid more attention to anything in her life; under the aura of Madam Pomfrey's calm instructions she began compressing Michael's chest and breathing for him, while the two House-Elves poured various potions and herbs down his throat or directly onto his wounds, which began to smoke and knit together.

Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she ignored him. All her concentration was on Michael. _"Come on Michael. Please, I love you! Please, Michael just breathe!"__--_

* * *

Everything was black and he heard a dim distant feminine voice sobbing and repeatedly calling his name:

"Michael, P_lease!" It said. "Michael Please" _Someone with soft hands was pressing hard on his chest and pinching his nose and blowing air into his mouth with her soft lips.

But he wanted to stay in his past. Everything was somehow less painful in the past. There were bad things, some very bad things, but somehow they were less complicated.

He remembered: his fifth birthday and his mother's smile, and the day his pet kneazle Kristopher was run over by a muggle automobile. High-fiving his father and the roar of the crowd as the Tutshill Tornados seeker caught the snitch at the only Quidditch game his father ever took him too.

His first glorious glimpse of Cho on her broom; his Hogwarts letter, Penelope Clearwater petrified; Marietta's laugh; Dementors storming the Hogwarts Express; posters of Sirius Black; and the angelic beauty of Fleur Delacour.

Cho glowing in Cedric's arms at the Yule Ball; dancing close with Ginny, kissing Ginny at Hogsmeade; Harry bringing back Cedric's body and Cho kneeling and crying hysterically over the corpse with Cedric's father; Cho's bravery at the Ravenclaw table as the headmaster told them all to remember Cedric. Diggory. Would someone say: 'Remember Michael Corner?'

Ginny hugging him and sobbing over Cedric (or was it over Harry?). A horrible argument between Cho and Marietta (they didn't talk for two weeks). DA meetings and Ginny playfully hexing him; Cho crying after a disastrous date with Harry at Hogsmeade; the inquisitorial squad and Dobby the house-elf telling the DA to scatter.

The first Ravenclaw-Gryffindor championship game, the seekers soaring high; the battling, the bumping; Ginny throwing an elbow, Ginny grabbing the snitch and Cho falling. Falling and tumbling end over end as helpless, wingless bird but graceful bird in freefall and the final screaming fight with Ginny over her nonchalant attitude over nearly killing his best friend just to win a game.

Marietta with the pimply word 'Sneak' across her face and her misery, and the 'accidental glimpse' he, Terry and Anthony got of a naked Mandy Brocklehurst

The death of his Grandmother, thestrals, studying for OWLS; his amazement and fear at understanding that Ginny and Cho were right and that He-Who-Must-Not-Be–Named was back; kissing Cho for the first time.

The owl with the horrible news that his favorite uncle, aunt and little toddler cousin Steve had been killed by Death Eaters.

Holding and snoging Cho on the Hogwarts Express; meeting Cho's family.

The visit to the Edgecombe's; Marietta's mother trying to defend them and her death. Marietta crying out his and Cho's name while the Death Eaters tortured her seven times with the Crucio curse.

Saving both the girls and himself with blind improvisation; Weasley Wild Fire Wiz Bangs, Instant Darkness Powder, Expelliarmus, Impedimenta and a shot in the dark miracle blind luck side-along apparition (He hadn't even passed his apparition test yet and Marietta biting off Cho's finger was not the first time Cho had lost a finger.)

Sitting in the common room for long hours that spring trying to help Marietta come to grips with her inconsolable loss; longer hours in the library doing the same thing that only fed Marietta's mania. Marietta's accusation and Luna's tea leaf lesson freak out.

Getting very physical and close again with Cho near the Astronomy tower; her moans as he….Luna interrupting them and maybe saving their lives as that was the night, only days ago that Dumbledore died. Would he see Dumbledore and Cedric in the afterlife? No, he wouldn't their spirits were trapped in Snape's and You-Know-wWo's wands. But Cho didn't know. He needed to stay alive, he needed to tell her.

That was her gently but frantically trying to kiss life into him. He knew those lips. That was determined but soft hands wailing on his chest. Those were her cries, her panicked sniffles.

'I'm sorry Cho.' his spirit wanted to say.

The news of Dumbledore's death and the funeral; who would be at his? He hoped Harry Potter. He wanted to be worthy of Harry Potter.

Marietta and Cho wrestling in the mud; Marietta killing the swan; destroying that little Gryffindor's dress. Hexing Marietta; bringing her up to the hospital wing. Bill not listening; Marietta stunning Bill and plunging the knife into his chest.

Not being able to breathe. Smelly-feet and a beautiful loving voice crying his name. Light, oh, glorious bright light.

* * *

"Angelina," said Anthony. His reply was a sad and frightened whisper. "They've killed the Professor too. Over."

It was a sickening thought and in truth the last thing Angelina expected. She had been convinced that McGonagall would be alright. The miserable thought distracted her at the worst possible moment and the blond witch hit her with a blasting hex that blew her back into the wall with heavy skull-shattering thud.

Stars twinkled and there was a horrible screech. Boneless Angelina slid to the floor and tumbled down a dozen steps.

She rolled to a stop, pain lashing through out her body, but especially her head.

Dazed, through blurry eyes Angelina watched the arrogant witch saunter over. The blond bitch no doubt had plans to say something evilly creative before finishing her. But Angelina was not done. She'd never be as long as she lived. And Blondie had made an error, one even a rookie Auror wouldn't make. She hadn't summoned away Angelina's wand.

So as Greta prepared to make her triumphant speech Angelina painfully raised her hand a few, inches her wand gripped loosely. It was all she needed.

_"Stupefy!"_

You couldn't have a straighter shot at a three feet and Angelina didn't miss. Although it struck her weakly in the central area below her hips, the force was just enough to put Greta out. Unfortunately though, Greta fell forward right across Angelina's chest.

"Always take the wand, Always! ALWAYS!" Tonks and Moody had drilled that into Angelina. The idea was to never assume your opponent was down until you had their wand and they appeared to be unconscious, and then still proceed with extreme caution. Greta had done none of that and for her untrained idiocy the Apprentice was grateful. She had been lucky as she seemed always to be, but one day….

Perhaps it was today, because her she felt fuzzy and nauseous like she did all too often after a late night bender. She could feel a torrent of blood dripping from a skull wound on the left side of her head. Her hair was matted to it. She had bit her tongue and chipped teeth and blood was pouring out in considerable streams form her nose and month and both ears. Her head felt like a small dragon had mistaken it for an egg. At the least she had a serious concussion, but it was more likely she had a cracked skull or worse. She was too woozy to move or to shove Greta off of her. And that Stupefy had been weak; Anthony's step-mom might not stay unconscious for long.

She tried to use the Audiowyrm but found the dead wyrm floating in the blood by her right ear. Apparently the blow to her head had killed it.

Angelina knew only that she had to stay conscious and she fought for it with every ounce of strength she had, but with the blurry edges of her vision blackening and the dragon moving its ass around it was an impossible task; so almost with her last conscious thought she raised her wand and cried: "Expecto Patronum Puniceus! and released her flashing red emergency patronus.

Tonks would spot her patronus right away. It was unique. There was not quite another like it.

During the DA meetings she had never been able to manage more then an ill-defined silvery mist, but now Auror training had helped her to define the truly intimidating Patronus she called forth now.

In normal circumstances it might have embarrassed her, but tonight as she faded away she hoped it might save her life, and Tony's and McGonagall if she still lived.

* * *

Deep down Harry knew that he and Luna should've just moved Justin to the hospital wing which was only about one-hundred feet away from where he lay on his back bleeding profusely from his right side. But they weren't used to so much blood and panic had clouded their judgment. And Justin wasn't helping.

"Oh Merlin, I'm going to die!" he moaned.

"No you're not, Justin," said Luna lovingly holding his hand, but her face had lost some of its serene quality.

"You're a terrible liar, Luna."

"_Episkey!_" said Harry trying to knit the huge wound in Justin's side. The pool of blood in which he and Luna knelt was rapidly becoming a small red sea.

"_Episkey!_" It did very little good. The wound wouldn't close. The blood wouldn't clot. How in hades had Marietta known Sectumsempra? It just didn't make any sense.

Luna who was now almost as pale as Justin had severed part of her robe and was pressing it hard to the wound: "Maybe direct pressure will help?" It did a tad.

Tonks being an Auror had seen this all before, well maybe not quite this much blood, or the impending death of one so young, but she kept her head better. Kneeling next to Luna she said:

"Harry, we have to move him into the hospital wing so we can work on him better, and evacuate him to St. Mungo's through the floo."

"I'm dying!" moaned Justin again starting to thrash. The wound was horribly painful too.

"Please stay still dear," said Luna wiping a loving hand across Justin's sweating brow. "You're making it harder for Harry to knit the wound." But even Luna had to know it wasn't working.

"Harry, we have to move him," said Tonks.

"Luna, I'm sorry," said Justin liking his lips and biting back the obvious scream he wanted to let out.

"Don't be. You saved me." She squeezed his hand.

"I'm sorry, I won't be there for you," whispered Justin. He painfully coughed. He could taste blood in his lungs now. It felt as if Marietta's spell had cut half-way through him. Through his increasing haze he kept on wondering what it was that he killed him.

Luna squeezed his hand again. "You'll be ok, Justin. Just lay still." Tears squeezed out the corner of her unblinking eyes.

"No, Luna," said Tonks softly: "we have to move him. See if you can help me get him up."

"I don't think I can," said Justin and then: "Luna, where's your staff?"

"Marietta took it."

Harry glanced up. "E_piskey_." His eyes meet Luna's and then Justin's. Panic for more than himself suddenly flooded Justin's eyes.

Justin sat up, shaking off Harry and hurriedly tried to get to his feet. "Harry! Find Marietta. Get the staff back. You can't let Luna die. She only has an hour!"

Tonks and Luna each took an arm and tried to use his worry to their advantage.

Steadying him Luna said: "It ok honey, Hermione's going to get it for me." But she looked even paler and her clothes were now covered in Justin's blood.

"Forget me. Harry go help Hermione!" gasped Justin.

"I'll be all-right, Justin and so will you," said Luna trying to ease him forward on his feet.

"You can't be sure!"

"I am."

"Luna, I'm dying and you will too if…."

"You won't die and neither will I…"

"I think this is why I love you."

She fixed him with a watery stare. "I care for you a lot Justin and I know you're going to be alright, after-all Michael's tea reading said you're going to be my baby's father."

Justin just looked at her in shock. His eyes bulged. He choked. And then suddenly he went slack, his bodily dangling in Tonks and Luna's grasp.

"Damn it, he's stopped breathing," said Tonks calmly as Luna let go of Justin's hand and through misty eyes whispered: "He's just taking a short stroll to the other side of the veil and so am I. But we will miss you all so terribly."

Catching out of the corner of her eye a silvery red flash but ignoring it for the moment as being less important, Tonks waved her wand while holding up Justin with her other arm and cried: "_RENNERVATE!"_

It didn't work. Justin still wasn't breathing, but since his heart had stopped at least he his bleeding had slowed.

Tonks scoped Justin into her arms and balancing his weight awkwardly stumbled through the double doors into the hospital wing just as Harry jumped up and ran; his anger and grief directing him. He would trust Hermione to save Luna, but there was only one thing he knew that might save Justin.

Cho still working on Michael saw Tonks and Luna enter and cried out: "Help me!" just as Tonks became fully aware of Angelina's flashing red pygmy puff Patronus. A flashing red patronus was the sign an auror used when they were in desperate medical need; many times the words it called out were the Aurors last words.

Angelina's Pygmy Puff cried out weakly:

_"Help me Tonks! I've broken my skull and McGonagall may be dead. There are two Death Eaters in the castle, Anthony Goldstein's trying to fight them off, their his step-parents…I've stunned one, but she won't stay out for long…..I'm on the Headmistresses stairs, repeat I've stunned one…tell my family I love them…tell George…" _

Crap. On top of everything else that her new friend, her Apprentice, her partner was down. She set Justin down on a table and quickly sent her own patronus back. "Hang-on! I'm sending help!" And another. Who should she send her other patronus too? The one pleading for her own help?Flitwick? She sent it.

But Justin had to be first, he was just a child and Angelina an Auror, even Angelina would tell her to save Justin first.

She had to make a choice, and then she got a look at what Cho was crying about.

The half-Korean half-Chinese girl was following the instructions of Madam Pomfrey and trying to help the House Elves revive her boyfriend and from the looks of things it wasn't going well. Madam Pomfrey's spirit was still floating about, but was fading. And Bill was unconscious on the floor.

And then the ceiling started screaming again:

**"Kodikas Galonos Duex! Kodikas Galanos Duex! All professors and staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos Duex! Kodikas Galonos Duex! Kodikas Galonos Duex! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos..." **

And Harry had run off? And somewhere Hermione was dueling Marietta for Luna's life and there were Death Eaters in the castle! She placed Justin on a table and then quickly pushed open the doors and went out again.

Immediate emergency evacuation to St. Mungo's seemed to be Michael and Justin's only chance. And something had happened to Bill and Angelina was down.

There seemed to be only one person to turn to for immediately help for Justin. But Luna was nearly as pale as Myrtle and unsteady on her feet. There was nothing serene about her. She looked gone and lost, she was sweating profusely, wiping her bloody hands on her filthy clothes, swaying over the pool of blood and staring at the lifeless eyes of Madam Pomfrey's corpse, muttering something incoherent about a man with a scythe.

Tonks was at her side in a moment, but as she went to help the girl, Luna rewarded her by vomiting onto her new boots.

"Luna?"

"Tonks, I need 4-Q!" she gasped. Then the skinny Ravenclaw girl closed her eyes, moaned once, whispered Justin's name and pitched over. All Tonks could think as she caught Luna in her arms was: 'Thank Merlin she's breathing'.

Even Luna would have to be evacuated to St. Mungo's, especially if Hermione didn't find that staff soon. Hopefully this one-hour thing was just part of the crazy girl's imagination and she was just in hysterics (and in Tonks opinion she had a lot to be hysterical about), because otherwise Marietta Edgecombe might soon be a triple murderer.

Tonks quickly picked up Luna and brought her inside, laid her unconscious form on the third bed and went over to try and help Justin. Cho hadn't even noticed.

"Cho, I need your help."

--

a/n '_Sopor' _the curse Anthony uses I made from Latin. It means deep sleep. So Anthony tried to put to sleep his ex-step-mothers first ex-husband, otherwise known as Pansy's father, he doesn't want to hurt him. I think it is odd that Rowling hasn't portrayed a simple sleep curse, because sleep is a standard spell in just about every magic system portrayed in D & D and other games.

a/n So what did you think? Any idea about what Harry thinks will save Justin? Anyway, I like reviews whether good or critical so please


	13. Chapter 27 through 30

**A/n Warning:** Chapter 27 deals with mature romantic matters of a mildly disgusting nature, if only because of the ship. Have a throw-up bucket handy or better one of those spit buckets boxers have in their corners. Also this is all JKR's we are just playing with her Hogwarts sand castle.

* * *

Quote: _"He that but looketh on a plate of ham and eggs to lust after it hath already committed breakfast with it in his heart"_

Attribution: _C.S. Lewis_

* * *

Choices of the Heart  
by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones

**Chapter 27: Big 'D '& Hanny**

Between Six-forty five and six forty eight p.m while the world went to hell, Hannah Abbot went to heaven in the arms of Dudley Dursley. She was kissing him fiercely in a public park in Little Whinging, Surrey and quite ignoring her muggle step-fathers order that Dudley actually run.

For that was what she was supposed to be doing, encouraging Dudley to run; but instead she was encouraging Dudley in other ways. But in any event her head was all fuzzy and all she could think was: '_Kissing is a sweet science, no wait that is boxing.' _

Dudley was a sweet kisser, jabbing back at her tongue in little pleasurable ways, but he was not a sweet boxer. From what Hannah had seen as a pugilist he was more of a pummeler, piling up victory after victory with brute muggle force.

Even his kisses had that sort of demanding irresistible energy, a kind of power that left her breathless and weak kneed like one of Dudley's opponents after his patented right cross to the jaw.

Those usually laid his victims flat on their backs, but if part of him were planning to overwhelm her with pleasure like he overwhelmed his opponents with power, well it was not going to happen tonight.

Dudley broke away from her lips and then started kissing her jaw line and then her neck.

She sighed: "Big D!"

She pressed herself to him bodily and reaching up, pulled him down and kissed him frantically, needily, desire throbbing, the needy animal part of her to the fore. That part wanted Dudley -- wanted Dudley to take her virginity now, right now, right here on the hard plastic picnic table behind her.

The one that was just barely hidden by bushes from the swing-set; where just a few moments before he had stopped to give her the most romantic push on the last remaining swing; but Hannah wasn't …well, she wasn't Susan Bones. She wouldn't allow herself to give in to her naughty animal instincts.

The truth was that although she was developing feelings of great affection for the great sweet oaf named Dudley Dursley and might even be falling in love with him; she wasn't going to sleep with him. Hannah fancied herself a nice girl and if Dudley wanted something from her, well …let's put it this way….he would need a ring and not the boxing kind if he hoped to schedule a bout.

Now he led with his famous right cross while he continued to kiss her, pawing under her sweaty Abbot's Gym tee to cup at her left breast, the thumb making soft circles and teasing the nipple hard and sending a shudder through her as his heavy fingers sought passage under the elastic of her sports bra.

"Dudley! Merlin, that's good!"

He pulled his hand away and jumped back as if he had seen the shadow of a basilisk; but that was impossible, muggles couldn't see a basilisk, not unless they were killed or if lucky turned to stone by one.

Funny though, he was as white as basilisk's stone.

"Dudley?"

"No, nothing… it was just something you said, something my cousin…but…no…you couldn't, it's just a coincidence. That's all, love."

She captured his lips again and his color quickly improved, moaning he palmed her breast fully again through her T and using his bulk began to push her back towards the table, but Hannah broke the lip lock and twisted away:

"DUDLEY!"

"Oh, HANNY! You're like sugar Hanny; so sweet. I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU! "

He brought his lips down, ran one hand through her hair and the other…Merlin, give me strength thought Hannah. With the other hand he toyed with her nipple again, then kissed it and then reached to paw under the elastic.

She snoged him madly.

What was the matter with her, she wasn't this wanton. They hadn't even gone on three dates yet for Merlin's sake and she was letting him paw at her, was delighted at the pudgy pawing, was about thirty seconds away from surrendering her first shag and in a public park no less.

Hell, it had taken her three years even to allow Ernie the privilege of 'breast awareness' and in three minutes Dudley had blown past all those barriers and she wasn't sure she wanted to whistle him to a stop.

But she reached under and firmly gripped his wrist and jerked it away. "Dudley, no!"

"Hanny…I..."

"DUDLEY TAKE A STANDING EIGHT! We're in a public park!"

"Hanny…believe me, that won't be a problem!"

She stared fixedly into the fathomless depth of his small watery blue eyes; pointedly ignoring other parts of his considerable anatomy.

"Dudley, I'm not like your other girls. You want me? You're going to have to earn me."

He grinned at her lustily.

She was not sure whether Dudley ever could 'earn her.' Because it was possible that she would never offer herself to a muggle. Not that she had anything against muggles; her own step-father was a muggle for Merlin's sake.

But if she married a muggle the odds would be poor that all of her children would be magical and she didn't want her children to relieve the heart-break of her dear non-magical half-sister Anna. She still remembered how her sister had cried and cried when her Hogwarts letter hadn't come.

Poor little Anna had never gotten over it and had been sulky ever since. It was Hannah's fault of course, she never should have told Anna all those wonderful tales of life at Hogwarts; no matter how true they were; when it was so painfully obvious that little Anna Belle wouldn't be able to follow in her footsteps. Hannah should have known second year when Anna hadn't been able to follow her onto the platform. She should've made Hogwarts sound awful; should have scared poor Anna with tales of Slytherin's heir and Snape and werewolf professors and horrid homework. Instead of getting her hopes up.

All she could do was pray every day that someday soon the muggles would let poor dear Anna who she loved so much out of the asylum. If only Anna hadn't tried to kill herself.

Hannah told herself she couldn't blame herself for that. It wasn't her fault. No matter how depressed Anna was, she wouldn't have done that if she hadn't found mother. If Anna hadn't come home from school to find their poor mom transfigured into a human-headed ass and chopped into twenty-five pieces, they would still be a happy family.

No, it wasn't her fault it was Mama's. Why did she have to join what Professor Dumbledore called the order?

_Mama! _Tears suddenly poured down her cheeks, leaving Dudley completely nonplussed.

"Hannah? Are you ok, I didn't hurt you did I?"

"No not you,"…Hannah said sniffing, regaining control of herself almost as suddenly as she had lost it. "I was thinking about my mother again."

"Oh, her again?"

"My mother was murdered you insensitive pig!"

"I'm not fat! I'm a heavyweight!"

"You're a heavy weight all right, five pounds to heavy. This is your big fight Dudley and daddy says you've got to make the weight limit. Why do you think my father wants you to run? Why he Ok'd me coming here. He thought I could get you to run today."

"You have."

"Not enough."

"Well you've exercised me in other ways." He said with a leer.

"And what I should do is exercise my option to dump you for being so obnoxious."

"And I should dump you for using such big words."

"They're not as big as you are round."

Dudley acted hurt. "I'm barrel shaped; my father says I have the perfect boxer's geometry. Plus you like it. "

"I do, but oey, isn't geometry a big word?"

"Well, my father has to know it, since he sells and manufactures drills and all. Besides boxers, know geometry, didn't your pops teach you nothing, he being a trainer and all you you'd think you'd know all about the squared circle!"

Hannah groaned and smiled. "Dudley that's bad."

"And you're beautiful, Hanny especially when you're mad. I'm sorry about your mum…I really am…it's a shame about that satanic cult, but now I suppose I can jog again…at least I'll have a good view."

"Of me bum."

"And a lovely bum it is…a bum that's shaped like a hot cross bun, your sweet bun bum is the nicest, hottest, shapeliest sweetest bum in all England…probably the tastiest too. I want to eat it all up."

Hannah sighed. "Dudley, can't you say one romantic thing that doesn't have to do with food?"

"No. Hannah, you have hair the color of royal honey (he ran a hand through it), a delicious cherry nose (he kissed it), eyes the color of deep chocolate (he kissed her brow), skin like fresh cream, (he kissed her neck) breasts….breasts like soft delectable pies (he ran a hand over one), strawberry nipples, hot cross bums (he squeezed one), lips… (he kissed them) lips…that taste like raspberry jam…"

"That's the lip stick. You like?"

"Hannah Abbot you should know by now…you're an incredible feast of delight, I like and want every part of you."

"Do you love me?"

"Hannah…I…"

She reached up and silenced his lips with her fingers. "Forgive me; you don't have to answer that now…for now let's jog."

"Or we could shag."

Shocked though she shouldn't have been, Hannah just said: "No. We'll just jog Dudley."

Exasperated she turned and ran.

Dudley's voice floated up from behind her. "You know shagging burns calories too!"

Hannah laughed and at precisely 6:48 cut out of the park and made a left on Magnolia Road putting pavement between herself and Dudley, making sure to move her bum in the way he liked.

Meanwhile two blocks away on Wisteria Walk, the Patils were calmly watching the furious Death Eater attack on 10 Downing Street through Ms. Figg's old tellie until Parvati suddenly pointed and exclaimed: "That's dad!" and just as suddenly apparated away. Leaving only a stunned Padma and Ms. Patil who shaking her head turned to her remaining daughter and sighed:

"Thank Merlin you're a Ravenclaw!"

* * *

_Choices of the Heart_

**by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones**

**Chapter 28: Die, Zabini! **

_Q__uote "Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared." _

_Attribution: — Eddie Rickenbacker_  
_World War I hero_

* * *

Raging anger pumping through him, Ron dove and ate dirt as Zabini's killing curse roared past -- too high. Thank Merlin. He didn't want to die, certainly not yet - he was to young and if he had too, well he wanted it to be Voldemort, not scumbag Blaise. He'd never live that down.

He scrambled to his knees, spitting. The ground atop the embankment was flat and featureless save for a few scrawny trees to far away to provide cover.

"You missed Blaise!"

He was at a clear disadvantage. Zabini had taken his wand and he was no good at this wandless stuff.

_"Avada Kedavra."_

Ron sprawled flat and ate dirt again. Spat dust. He needed help. The audiowyrm.

"To all DA, **HELP!**"

He heard gravel skitter. He turned on his knees; Zabini was coming up after him, trying to improve the angle. He had no choice. One chance.

He leapt off the cliff.

"Die Zabini!"

--

There was a war on outside or so it seemed. This wasn't a riot.

Lavender, ducked low in her seat. She had cast a shield charm on herself and some nearby students but some random spells had penetrated the side of the car and a window had shattered, the flying glass taking out a Hufflepuffs eye. The poor kid was screaming.

Lavender was terrified. Susan crouched next to her in worse shape, visibly shaking. "We're going to die, Lavender! We're going to die!"

And then some Hufflepuff shouted over the din: "It's the Dark Mark!"

Lavender turned and looked over Susan's shoulder out the far side window. There it was. The green snake eating skull glowing high in the sky just like the photos she had seen in the prophet and over Dumbledore...that day. Suddenly there was an acidic smell and Susan moaned.

"The Death Eater's are here, but Harry isn't. We're going to die."

Lavender made a face at the shaking pale faced girl. Susan was so terrified that she had pied and shit herself. This from a Bones; the supposed bastions (and bastards) of the Wizarding World – the family that fought for truth, justice and fee free flooing; the family whose members had been Aurors and explorers for generations, the family that splayed sphinxes and snowmen and killed Dark Lords with tea cozies; no wonder Susan hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor, there nothing Bones about her.

_"Tergeo!"_ Lavender said calmly using a cleaning spell Hermione had taught her. She shook Susan. "Get a hold of yourself Sue; we have to fight back. Everyone needs you, especially your housemates!"

And then came Ron's cry for help over the audiowyrm: "To all DA, Help**!"** and then moments later: "Die Zabini!"

"RON!"

--

Fred had heard Ginny's cry about Percy over the audiowyrm, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. He was otherwise engaged.

A cold clammy hand reached out form the sudden fog and tried to yank him off the top of the engine cab were he stood with George, several house-elves and a couple of Aurors.

_"Liberatio!" _

The hand released, another grabbed for him and but he kicked it away. However a house-elf near him wasn't so lucky and let out a screech as she was dragged off the cab with a horrible clatter and rattle.

Out of the fog he heard a terrified shout, probably from a muggle or a half-blood. "ZOMBIES!"

George was also struggling with the mysterious gray hands.

"What are they, George?"

"Inferi!"

And then came a cry from Ron over the audiowyrm: "To all DA, Help!" and then a separate scream over the still open channel: "Die, Zabini."

"Seems like our little brothers in a tussle, Fred."

"And so are we."

"But Ron has the advantage...Watch that! Over there, on your left... good curse! The dead don't die!"

"Percy screamed. "Mum, Gin look out!"

But before Ginny could react Seamus Finnegan had leapt from nowhere and tackled her mother. One moment she was running towards Percy with her mum. The next her mothers life was spared by inches.

Now Seamus was on his knees yelling with fury at the blond middle aged witch who had just tried to kill her mother.

"WHAT THE HELL, MUM!"

With a gasp, Ginny realized that Seamus's mother was a death eater.

"You've chosen the wrong side, Seamus," said the witch with a sick smile.

"Mother, you can't be a Death Eater. Father is a muggle!"

"Your Father was a muggle…Seamus. I've already removed that huge mistake from my life."

"Mother, you…."

The witch was suddenly crying, huge tears leaking. "That's right, Seamus. I've executed your father. The world needs to be pure if it is to be safe and prosper and now I think I'll erase my other error."

"MUM, PLEASE!"

_"I _love you honey, but you're not pure._ Avada Kedavra!"_

And Seamus pitched backward to land crosswise on top of Ginny's mother; glassy eyed and dead.

"SEAMUS!"

Ginny swung her wand. But Seamus's mother, his murderer had already skipped away, concealed by a thick fog that had suddenly appeared from the south. Panicked people were streaming from that direction. In her shock she heard one frightened male shout: "ZOMBIES! Who has a gun? You have to shot them in the head!"

And another cry: "No you half-wiz dolt. These are wizard Zombies you can't shoot them!"

"So what do you do?"

"I don't know...running away might be a good idea."

Mum had pushed out from under Seamus off her and was now sobbing and rocking, hugging him.

"Poor Seamus! How could she do that Ginny? How could a mother kill her own son? How!"

"I don't know, mum."

She went over and took Seamus from her mother, hugged him herself. Felt tears come, to many already today. Seamus hadn't been her closest friend, but he was Dean's and when she had been dating Dean, Seamus had always been there.

She remembered his antics at Quidditch matches, taking a turn dancing with him at the Yule Ball, relaxing with Dean and him at the lake despite the fact that Dean kept on hinting that he should leave, a game of exploding snap, the time she had disastrously tried to set him up with Romilda, so Romilda would stop bothering Harry.

How in the name of Merlin was she going to tell Dean or Harry?

Harry might snap. He'd push her away more. He couldn't take another death….and Seamus, poor Seamus had died by the hand of his mother.

Percy came running up, along with Flitwick and two Aurors -- a wizard with a pony tail and a witch with an eye patch.

"Mother are you all right?"

"Percy!" Her mother hugged Percy hard.

Percy squirmed away and then reached down to pick up Seamus's wand.

"No time for that, mum! Genera, take mother and get back on the train, it's the safest place."

"But, Percy!"

"Do it! Williamson, take Aurora and get to the cab, get this train moving. Now!

Just then Ginny heard Ron cry through the audiowyrm: "To all DA, help! And then scream "Die, Zabini!"

--

It wasn't the women with the green colored robes who did it, but someone else. Arthur was never sure who, but in the midst of his conversation with the women, a gravely voice said simply with no preliminary:

_"Avada Kedavra."_

One of the Aurors crumpled.

Screams and shouts started up in the narrow last car along with pushing and shoving as some of the Slytherins realized there were Death Eaters amongst them.

Colin and Lee raised shield charms, but before Arthur could raise his, a random stunner struck Dennis Creevey and he slumped against Colin.

"Out…Out…Leave Clark he's dead!" said Arthur to Mr. Creevey as the muggle milkman tried to lug the Auror out the door with them.

They spilled out dragging Dennis with them and ran around to the station side. A dark mark hung over the first Slytheirn car and a heavy fog was rolling towards them from the south.

And then from the far side of that car and somewhat above Arthur heard his son Ron shout: "Die, Zabini!"

_**

* * *

**__**Choices of the Heart**__**  
**_**_by Ydnas Odell aka DA Jones_**

**_Chapter 29: Former Sons & Future Daughters_**

* * *

___Quote: Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands._

_Attribution: Anne Frank_

* * *

There was a cry of pain through the audiowyrm that Anthony Goldstein knew couldn't mean anything good. The professor had collapsed. Greta had fled. Only to apparently end up locked in combat with Angelina Johnson somewhere down the stairs and now it seemed that the Gryffindor had lost. And now Anthony was locked in another duel with his step-dad Stanley and his step-mum Pony was to upset to be of help.

But he had to get out of here, not just for himself; but for Pony, Pansy, and the others.

With a cry of: "Sopor!" Anthony fired another brown sleeping spell at his step-father, but the former beater side-stepped and retaliated with a nasty blasting hex that missed Anthony but shattered the silver instruments on the headmaster's desk, sending pieces pieces flying and scorching a smoking hole in the portrait of Dilys Derwant.

The former headmistress cursed a blue streak and waved a fist of rings in anger as Anthony instinctively squeezed under the desk for cover. There was not a lot of room. Most of the space was already occupied by his sobbing step-mom Pony and she wrapped her arms around him protectively but he squirmed away and took careful aim over the rim of the desk. "You killed Dad! Stupefy!"

Stanley contemptuously flicked the stunner aside and stalked him. "Actually Greta did. For a Ravenclaw your not to observant are you, son?"

"Don't call me son! You're not my father and Greta's not my mum!"

Stanley mocked him with a little-girl like voice: "So you're a sad little orphan like Potter now?"

Anthony's answered by silently ejecting a whole shelf of books at the back of Stanley's head, but the bastard turned at the last moment and the books bounced off in random directions. A medium-sized tome landed with a thump at Anthony's feet.

In gold leaf on a black cover with the silvery outline of a sexy witch holding a wineglass it said: '_Glamour & Gab Charms For The Lonely and Frustrated Bachelor.'_

Why did Dumbledore have that book? Really the whole idea that his headmaster might have a sex life freaked him out, especially if what Ernie had said of him were true. Then again, why did Dumbledore have that book?

Just then a purple retaliatory curse streaked past his ear; which reminded Anthony that at the moment there were far more important things to think about; 'Dad's dead' -- than the headmasters sex life; staying alive for one.

Frustrated he threw the book at Stanley, who blocked it with his free hand.

"I think your taking the Ravenclaw maxim about books as weapons a little too literally, Tony" said Stanley sneeringly. "Your Ravenclaw cleverness is all Pony's fault. She and that tramp Ira."

"DON'T CALL IRA A TRAMP!" said Pony rising theatrically, tears streaming, hair and mascara erratic and her wand pointed at Stanley. "He was a drunk, not a tramp!"

"He was a useless muggle-loving fool who couldn't hold his mead and wouldn't stop whining over his long dead wife even when he was shagging you. You're a fool Pony and Toni's a disappointment. I tried to raise him as true pure-blood, but Ira had other ideas. Tony, if you had lived more with me and Greta you'd be more like your sister. At least she has the sense to know where muggles and mudbloods belong!"

"They belong wherever their talent takes them," said Pony defiantly "muggle-borns deserve the same rights as all wizards!"

"No! That filth just pollutes the flow with their dirty magic, like muggles pour chemicals in a river."

"Flow! All you Slytherins talk about 'the flow.' It doesn't exist. It's rubbish. It's a myth not even the Quibbler would publish!"

"It exists. Murdaigan Macnair says so in: '_The Silent Source: Heading-Off the Muggle-born Menace To The Magenvironment'. _

"You believe Macnair's malarkey, Stanley? Murdaigan got his degree from the same people who sell Kwikspell. His theories have been discredited by every reputable doctor of Magenvironmancy.

"They've been paid off by the muggle-born."

Anthony's step-mother actually humphed. "Paid off! Most muggle-borns can't even afford their school books. There's never been a muggle-born member of the Wizegamot, never even a Quidditch player."

"And that's another thing; I won't have my taxes going to support welfare for single mud-blood mothers with six children. They should work for a living."

But they can't get the jobs pure-bloods get because of discrimination!"

"Be Silent Witch!"

"No...I didn't stay silent then and I won't now. Silence is the first demand of husbands, bigots and dictators, I won't be silent. _EXPELLIARMUS!"_

_--_

With her heart racing, breathe short and legs cramping Hermione pounded down dark and twisty corridors in full pursuit of Marietta, ducking the girl's increasingly erratic and exotic curses and the sword arms of the clumsy suits of armor that the Ravenclaw sent after her; she should have been terrified, but instead she was filled with a vague form of elation.

In other circumstances she felt that this could be fun. In other circumstances Fred and George may have even sold tickets. But there weren't gentle or fun circumstances. She was in full-out pursuit of the sneak. She should have tattooed Marietta's face with 'snitch' she thought, it what she was in addition to a murderer.

Marietta had the staff and a year of schooling on Hermione and had to know some things that Hermione didn't. But all Marietta seemed to be doing was trying to buy distance and time.

Several times already during their running duel, she had turned and stood at bay, engaging Hermione in a brief flashing fury before fleeing again; each time gaining distance, and using her superior conditioning to her advantage. But although running and retreating, she had given as well as she got.

If she was honest with herself Hermione knew that if the Ravenclaw had been better at aiming on the run, or had time to figure out how to use the staff properly she probably would have escaped by now. And Hermione would've had several dead friends and some nasty curse to show for it.

At full speed they rounded a corner into a large hallway lined on either side with marble busts of famous witches on Tuscan stands and Hermione screamed: "REDUCTO!" Aiming the curse at the part of the ceiling that was just ahead of the fleeing Marietta. The ceiling crumbled and a slab of granite fell; but Marietta pointed the staff and a beam of silver light shot out from it and halted the stone, but Marietta's arms shook and she went to her knees with a grunt.

In her desperation Hermione aimed a wild stunner at Marietta's back, but Marietta lay on her right shoulder and made a brief circling movement with her wand and the stunner bounced away and then she swept the staff forward with her left hand and released the stone, sending it sailing towards Hermione, who dove to her right in an awkward tuck and roll as the slab crashed with an echoing boom just behind her and sprang to her feet, wand ready, but gasping for air.

Marietta taunted her: "Running out of ideas or just breathe, Hermione?"

This was a problem. Hermione was no athlete and she knew it, she was rather proud of that tuck and roll she had just done, dexterity was completely unlike her. Compared to Marietta she was out of shape. Ravenclaws were always trim, prim and athletic; even Luna could have a sort of hippie regality to her and there was not a single one of them that anyone could call fat.

It was another of their infuriating maxims; something about flabby bodies leading to flabby thoughts. Which Hermione knew made sense given the effect blood sugar levels had on emotion.

"I think you just need to catch your wind, maybe a breeze will help. NULLAERIS_!" _

With a great whoosh, a windstorm gushed past Hermione, knocking her over, flaring out her bushy hair and threating to drag her feet first down the hall. All her remaining air burst from her lungs and she clawed at the ground for traction as her eyes began to bug-out.

Marietta had turned her wand into a singularity and was creating a vacuum in front of her, while preserving a pocket of air around herself. Even the portraits around Hermione were affected. One lady in waiting was flying like a flag on a flimsy bending pole, as her red bloomers flew in full display.

Hermione saved herself with a non-verbal bubble head charm and then retaliated with a non-verbal stunner that exploded the bust of a Medea next to Marietta and sent the stone shrapnel flying into the Ravenclaw's face.

Marietta's concentration broke and the wind died and then Hermione's wand slashed through the air and a coil of ropes sped towards Marietta, but Marietta silently conjured a flying phalanx of whirling blades and the ropes fell torn to a cloud of threads.

Hermione conjured a square wooden shield and the blades impacted with a series of thumps. She then with an exhausted groan threw the heavy shield at Marietta, tossing it like a large Frisbee; conjuring wings for it mid-flight.

But Marietta blasted it apart and Hermione had to duck behind a stand to avoid the shards and the grasping arms of a reaching suit. Then Marietta turned and ran again and Hermione followed bubble and hot headed.

Marietta was winning. But Marietta couldn't win. If she escaped, if Hermione didn't get that staff back from Marietta, Luna would die and Harry couldn't take even one more death. Plus, Justin had been hit with Sectumsempra and didn't look good. His only hope might be invoking the 'time hex' that had enveloped Pansy.

Down two more corridors, around a bend, through a door, and then Hermione fired and hit with a tripping hexes and Marietta went sprawling; the staff skiding away.

Hermione leapt for it, but Marietta summoned it; but as it flew towards Marietta Hermione conjured a vase in midair and the staff banged into it with a clang and flipped away as the vase fell to the floor and shattered.

They circled each other, Hermione bubble headed, each equidistant from the staff, wands pointed; carefully avoiding the sharp pieces of vase that formed a rough outline around their prize.

"Marietta, leave the staff and I'll let you go," Hermione shouted in a funny sort of way her voice much like a muggle who had inhaled a helium balloon.

"You won't do that. You're too righteous."

Marieta quickly slashed her wand in an loopy "E" pattern and hit Hermione with a gout of electric blue flame which came in just under her guard and blasted her back. Popping her bubble and leaving fizzling feedback ringing in her ears.

As Hermione lolled on the ground covering her ears Marietta fired a stunner, but Hermone came to her senses in the nick of time and blocked it asMarietta scopped the staff and ran again.

After climbing to her feet and conjuring special pink ear muffs to stop the ringing, Hermione just barely ducked under the swinging arm of a suit of armor as it tried to cleave her head with an ax. But she drove it back with a two impeding spells and then was past and in full pursuit of Marietta.

Around a corner, down a corridor of classrooms, up a stair, down stairs, past the Grey Lady; Marietta fled. But then she turned a bend and found herself facing a locked door. It wouldn't open with Alohorma.

So Marietta whirled around to face Hermione, who had squared-up to block the only exit; and raising her wand said:

"It's showdown time."

"Surrender, Marietta. Madam Pomfrey's death was an accident and so was Michael's, you're not in your right mind, surely the Wizengamot."

Marietta sneered: "That bag of old spineless bones."

"Since when do you consider anything of the ministry useless?"

"Since they let my mother die…"

"Marietta…I.."

"Don't feel sorry for me, Hermione….I don't feel sorry for Harry!"

"You had a terrible loss…but just leave the staff…"

"I can't do that."

"Why?"

"You wouldn't understand, Hermione."

"Try me."

"You like her."

"Excuse me?"

"You think she's the oddest person who's ever lived, that she's annoying, but you like her."

"Who?"

"Loony Lovegood, she has to die!"

"I won't let you do that. You'll have to kill me too!"

"Touching, but I won't take your life; not when you're needed and not when there is a far simpler way; one that takes advantageous of your virtue."

Marietta drew her wand across her point down as if etching the floor and said: "Funicoitus!"

A golden line started flashing and Marietta went to work on the door trying various spells.

Meanwhile Hermione turned to blast apart a suit of armor that had caught up with her and then with her pink earmuffs still on bent down to study the line. Running her wand just above it.

"What is it?" pondered Hermione. "An age line, I thought only Dumbledore…"

"No something different, its a coitus line. So I win," said Marietta smiling. "Since you can't cross and it's only a matter of time 'till I get this door open, I win."

"I guess I'm not as virtuous as you thought!" said Hermione boldly stepping over the line. The golden glow flickered and died as Marietta backed away open-mouthed,.

"But you're a virgin!"

"I'm not," said Hermione tersely.

"Ron?"

"No, but it should've been."

"Cho was right then, was it Harry?"

"No!"

"Who then, Krum?"

"No, of course not and it's none of your business. Surrender Marietta!"

But instead Marietta spun and blasted the door off its hinges with "Expulso!" and the chase was on again, through parts of the castle Hermione had never seen before, but continuing in the general direction of the greenhouses. Marietta was pulling away, Hermione was just too tired.

So firing ahead, she took a trick from Fred and George and turned a stretch of floor into sticky mud and foolhardy Marietta tried to plow right through in her low-heeled shoes.

Stumbling she landed with a splat, face first and then rolled, half-climbing to her feet as Hermione pounced.

Marietta threw her over her shoulder and the Gryffindor landed on her back with her own wet splat as her earmuffs flew away; but halfway through the toss; Hermione had sent ropes to bound Marietta's hands; so Marietta stomped on the Gryffindor's head as she quickly used wandless magic to burn throught the ropes.

Grabbing the Ravenclaws foot Hermione threw her off balance, and then was to her own feet just in time to block Marietta's own desperation ropework counter; and send a flying mud fist in reply. But Marietta blocked it and sent a a stunner that missed wide but sent statue shrapnel into Hermione's face.

Mariette used Hermione's distraction to get to her feet and wands held high they circled again as Hermione wipped blood and mud from her brow and asked: "Why are you trying to kill Luna, Marietta? Has Voldemort sent you on a mission, like he did Draco? One you must complete…or what Cho dies? You don't have a family, who can he threaten?"

"No one, You must know I'd never be a Death Eater, Hermione! They killed me mother, they'd have to kill me first before I'd join them. I'm on your side Hermione, but…you just don't understand!

"You're right I don't. I doubt Harry wants a murderer on his side!"

"I'm not a murderer! If I kill it's because I have to; in order to do the right thing. I'm trying to save the world Hermione!"

"Funny way to do it, killing. You're insane, Marietta!"

"That's what Cho thinks, but she's wrong. I admit its a cold a cost-benefit analysis. But what's one or two people; even if their innocent when the worlds at stake. When you look at it dispassionately it's a small price to pay to prevent what is to come".

Hermione thought about Dumbledore and Cedric and Sirius and now Pomfrey."One life is always to many Marietta and you've already killed two, maybe three of four. I won't let you harm Luna. This madness ends ends; whatever your motives Harry has enough else to deal with. You're not getting away with that staff. "

She sent a stunner. Marietta blocked it with ease . They circled still. In the distance Hermione could hear the closing clanks of suits of armor. She was lucky this corridor was free of them.

"Llisten to me Hermione," said Marietta. "Luna has to die! She's the flower of the end; Justin too if the world is going to live. The others two were accidents which I'm sorry for, but Luna has to die. Voldemort is an evil toddler compared to what she'll bring."

"You're mad! Luna isn't going to be a dark lady!"

"It's not Luna I'm worried about, it's her daughter."

"Luna's daughter? You really are out of your mind."

Marietta barked with laughter. "Have you ever met a Ravenclaw who isn't? We're all loony to some degree, I guess in that way I'm kindred with Luna; it's our nature, but Lady Ravenclaw made a prophecy and it's so specific it can't be about anyone else."

"What is it?"

Marietta adopted a solemn tone. "_The love of the fanciful flower of the moon and the soaring child of the flightless birds shall begat in the two-thousandth cycle of the light of life since the son of the source of love and life; the mistress who'll bind all to the source and all shall become all and nevermore._ "

That's Rowena Ravenclaw's prophecy. Help me! Let me go and it won't come true. Sometimes horrible things need to be done for the greater good. Luna if she understood, and if she wasn't infected by prophecy might even willingly sacrifice herself. It's the right thing."

"Its not. She wouldn't and murder is never the answer and that prophecy it could mean anyone!"

"Is Harry's prophecy any clearer? You're still acting on it. Sometimes you just can't risk being wrong."

"It's not …I mean."

Marietta went all wide-eyed. "You mean there is a prophecy about Harry!"

"What, no….none of that chosen one business, there's no prophecy about Harry, just like there's no prophecy about Luna. It's all insanity! But Harry did make a prophecy once."

"He did?"

"He said you'd betray us. I should have listened," Hermione lied icily as Marietta's suits of armor began to splash through the mud behind.

Marietta ignored her comment. "Ravenclaw's prophecy is a prophecy about the end of the world. Does Harry's prophecy match that? Luna and Justin are the trigger points of the end time. I still want to help Harry defeat You-know-who, that is important, but not as important as this. Will you help me."

"Give me the staff Marietta, and I'll get you the help you need, I don't have time to stand here debating with a madwitch. Every second I waste brings Luna closer to death."

"And saves the world. Given that I'm in favor of debate, it's so much more interesting then dueling. So what should we debate about? Marx and Merlin? Gamp's Laws?"

Hermione pointed her wand. "Marietta, the only philosophy Gryffindors care about is the philosophy of action."

"Which means?"

"It means that we don't believe in the verbal kind of argument, when a physical one will do as well…BATTO-BATSU-OMO!"

Suddenly bats erupted from Marietta's nose and attacked her eyes and she screamed: "Bats! I hate Bats!" and turning stumbled away down the hall, arms up to protect her face and for the moment half-blinded.

Hermione grinned, and after a brief moment to try to catch her breath and another to blast aside about the thirtieth lumbering suit of armor, took off yet again in pursuit. Ginny would be so proud.

--

After a furious but short battling blur of flashes, curses, hexes, jinxes and counter-curses Anthony and Pony had lost.

Pony had been sent flying to land with a sickening thud and Stanley had taken Anthony's wand and was lording over him ready to deliver the coup-de-grace, smirking and strutting, pontificating on everything his step-son had ever done wrong; when McGonagall rose from the dead and missed from a foot with a stunner.

Even though she missed, the act so 'stunned' Stanley that he literally starred at her fish-mouthed for a second and then dropped Anthony's wand, turned on his heel and fled.

Anthony was not sure what he was more startled by, the fact he was alive, McGonagall was alive or the fact that she had missed. Not even Neville Longbottom would have missed from a foot.

"Are you all right Professor?" he said while helping her up and retrieving  
his wand.

"I'm fine, it'll take more then two second-rate Death Eaters to do me in Mr. Goldstein," said McGonagall raising herself painfully.

"Although I do admit they took me by surprise. Reparo! There that's better. Greta shattered my glasses; I couldn't see two inches in front of my face. They might as well have used a blinding hex. Here help me tend to your mother; do you know what's happened to Ms. Johnson?"

"She was fighting with Greta. I think she's been hurt. "

* * *

**Chapter 30 of Choices of the Heart by Ydnas Odell  
Angelina & Anthony**

* * *

_Quote: Sadness flies on the wings of the morning and out of the heart of darkness comes the light._

_Attribution: Jean Giraudoux

* * *

_

Angelina awoke to someone kicking-in her face. The force of the blow knocked out several of her teeth and she spit them out, a new trickle of blood trailing down her chin.

"Get up Auror scum!"

She looked up at what she considered a ludicrous site. Stan the man, the beater, he of the pink and silver flashing robes; 'Stan the Man' it said; then again 'Stan the Man'; was beating the crap out of her; well he probably thought he was good at that; but she took solace that she was leaving some blood on his nice new silk robes. He wouldn't like that. He was smarter than his wife; at least he had taken her wand.

"How is it, that you-know-who lets you wear that robe, Stanley? I wouldn't think pink was an approved Death Eater color!"

"Shut up! Incarcerous!" Rope sped from his wand and bound her arms; and he then turned to Rennervate his wife.

"Where have they taken my daughter?"

"Pansy?"

"No, Hermione Granger…of course Pansy!"

"Where do you think they took her?"

He slugged her as hard as he could. Angelina blacked out again.

--

In the medical ward Tonks cried: "Cho, I need your help!"

But the Chinese girl ignored her, and just continued to compress her boyfriends bleeding chest and breathe for him, while getting more and more distraught by the moment. Pomfrey's fading ghost was flitting about frantically.

Tonks was no healer, she knew a modicum of battlefield medicine and that was it. But she knew when someone was dead. What Cho was doing to was hopeless and was doing nothing but prolonging the poor boys pain, but if something like that had happened to Remus...

She took a breathe, ignored the now unconcious Luna for the moment, Luna was up to Hermione, but Michael and Justin would both die…if…

She pushed past Cho and rennevated Bill.

"Tonks…? What…happened," he asked groggily.

"No time to explain, help Cho!"

He was up to his feet quickly, but not very steadily. His reserves were dangerously low.

"Merlin what's happened to Michael?"

Tonks sent Wickers to find McGonagall so the anti-floo wards could be lifted and dragged Dobby away from Cho to help with Justin's wounds. The 'ghost' tried to give instructions but was barely a whisp now. All Tonks could do for the Hufflepuff was what little she could remember from her short muggle first-aid class; and basically imitate Cho.

--

Anthony Goldstein turned and stared blankly at Dumbledore's slumbering portrait and pointedly away from his dead father, trying to find his center, to slow his pounding heart, to calm himself down.

He needed to think. The last two or three minutes had been a buffeting blur of physical and emotional blows and he just needed thirty seconds to try to grasp the facts. His father was dead. His step-mother Greta had killed him. His step-father Stanley had just tried to kill his other step-mum Pony and him.

Pony lay in a heap in the corner, half-conscious and moaning with a streak of thick blood matting down her jet black hair; while the headmistress examined her.

Professor McGonagall had just saved both their lives. The Parkinson's were Death Eaters, but his step-sister Pansy was alive; Angelina had stopped responding to his calls over the Audiowyrm and if alive was probably badly injured and he had just become aware that the ceiling was screaming:

**"Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galanos! All professors and staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos..."**

He had a headache. Had he cracked his head against the underside of the desk sometime during the battle; or was it just the screaming?

"Anthony help me with your mother," snapped McGonagall. His mother had been revived but still looked half passed out, her head lolling.

"We need to get her to the hospital wing, so Madam Pomfrey…"

The headmistress was fusing with Pony, his step-mum had a concussion or worse. "Ms. Goldstein, don't sit up too quickly, you have a nasty head wound and…"

"Professor, is she going to be ok?"

"Mr. Goldstein, she needs to go to St. Mungo's; help me to get her up and then we can at least get her to the hospital wing." I'll adjust the anti-floo charm so we can get their quickly. Madam Pomfrey needs me!"

He stepped over his father's body, took one of Pony's arms and placed it on his shoulder, just as a panicky house-elf apparated into their mist and pulled at the Headmistresses' sleeve:

"Wickers!"

"Misses….Mcgonagall …Misses…McGonagall ….Medical emergency….Misses Tonks says she needs you to risk raising the floo, misses…several students…several students are near death, Misses."

"No! Death Eaters?"

"One of the students misses, a Ravenclaw; Marietta Edgecombe.she's lost her mind Wickers thinks. He does."

"Wicker's tell Madam Pomfrey that I'll be there shortly and tell her there's Death Eaters in the castle --"

"Misses. Oh…no misses…Wickers, regrets to inform you….that Madam Pomfrey is dead."

McGonagall's gasped in shock. "Dead? H-How?"

"Marietta killed Madam Pomfrey!" exclaimed Anthony.

"And she's stabbed another student…owe its terrible. Wickers never seen so much blood, misses…and the other student…not breating Misses Tonks says…come quickly Misses, please…or I fear…misses come….Misses Tonks needs you, misses."

He was pulling on McGonagall's sleeve with urgency while the headmistress stood there open-mouthed tears glistering in her eyes.

"Is Angelina with her," asked Anthony?"

"Tonks is by herself, sir….injured students, she needs you misses, she can't save them all herself. Misses. Come you must come."

Meanwhile the ceiling continued to scream:

**"Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galanos! All professors and staff and trained house-elves able to assist please report to the Hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! Kodikas Galonos! All able to assist please report to the hospital wing immediately. Kodikas Galonos..."**

"Go! Wickers!" cried McGonagall " and tell them I'm coming!" and with a pop the house-elf apparated away. Then turing quickly the head of Gryffindor said: "Mr. Goldstein take your mother!" and pushed the lolling Pony into his arms. ...I'll follow immediately."

Then she grabbed the floo powder from the top of Dumbledore's hearth and tossed it into the fireplace; but it lay still like black and gray chunky talcum powder until McGonagall finished with whipping her wand through figure-eights and figure-sixes and other strange weaving and muttering incantations in language Anthony wasn't very familiar with but which he assumed was high-Aramaic and then the fireplace flared-up with a ferocious green whoosh!

"Into the floo Mr. Goldstein, hurry!"

Anthony obeyed but as he started to duck and crawl into the floo he asked:

"But what about Angelina, she's not answering me…shouldn't we?"

McGonagall snapped at him. "Ms. Johnson is an auror, she can take care of herself! Now go!"

She shoved him in, and tossed more the powder after him; more cold green fire surrounded him and he briefly felt the familiar spinning sensation and then he was dumped unceremoniously onto an antiseptic blue tile floor. Rising to his feet and raising Pony, he saw a oak claw-footed desk and bookshelves that rose to the ceiling filled with healer's book, scrolls, journals; glass vials of various potion and healers instruments plus family photos and a general gallimaufry of bibelots and knickknacks.

Pomfrey's office.

He could hear sobbing and frantic voices coming from a door at the far end. He dragged his mother towards it.

Anthony pushed it open to see a tall red-headed man, his face ridged with horrid inflamed scars, prodding with his fingers at Michael's chest and shaking his head. Cho was standing behind him, glassy-eyed, panicked, weeping. Her hands wet with Michael's blood. His friend was lying there too pale, like Anthony's father; covered in blood; blue-lipped. Not breathing. Mike!

Cho tried to push forward, but the man grabbed her by her shoulders and stopped her. "I'm sorry. He's gone," he said gently. "That knife was cursed. It's been turning his heart and lungs into a kind of stone. There's nothing you can do…maybe if I hadn't been stunned." He shook his head. "It's too late."

Cho raced forward and tried to climb on Michael: "No, MICHAEL!"

The man pried her off saying: "I'm sorry!"

As Anthony watched she collapsed against the man beating at his chest sobbing: "Cedric was enough, not Michael too…please God not ..Michael too….not Michael too…Marietta..I….I…I. can't live."

Still holding Cho the man reached inot his robes with one arm, patted himself down. He was looking forsomething Anthony thought. Maybe his wand?

It was then as the man looked around that he and the others first took in Anthony.

"Anthony?" mouthed Cho weakly.

Tonks was behind her, doing something frantic to Justin. Luna was passed out?

The man moved towards him and took his slumped mother. She was bleeding heavily from the scalp again.

Anthony hugged Cho and looking her hard in the eyes whsipered. "We have to be stong, ok...just like Rowena...I know about Marietta...don't mourn now, there's no time...we'll do it later, together" and to the others said: "McGonagall's coming. There are Death Eater's in the castle!"

--

Harry ran, his feet pounding up the stairs as dashed towards the Room of Requirments. He had left Snape's book there. If he had only remembered it before.

He knew that the counter-spell to Sectumsempra must be in there somewhere and it might be the only way to help Justin. He just hoped that he had enough time.

As he passed the large Gargoyles that guarded the entrance to what he still thought of as Dumbledore's office; he caught a glow out of the corner of his eye as a force slammed him in the back.

He landed against the far wall in a clump and his wand skittered away to plummet over the edge of the stairs towards the entrance hall far below.

"Potter? Oh… the Dark Lord will be most pleased."


	14. New 1008 Chapters 31 through 33

* * *

**Quote:**

_"Death eats up all things, both the young lamb and old sheep; and I have heard our parson say, death values a prince no more than a clown; all's fish that comes to his net; he throws at all, and sweeps stakes; he's no mower that takes a nap at noon-day, but drives on, fair weather or foul, and cuts down the green grass as well as the ripe corn: he's neither squeamish nor queesy-stomach'd, for he swallows without chewing, and crams down all things into his ungracious maw; and tho' you can see no belly he has, he has a confounded dropsy, and thirsts after men's lives, which he guggles down like mother's milk."_

**Attribution:** _Miquel de Cervantes Saavedra (Spanish writer, author of the masterwork 'El quijote', 1547-1616_

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**Storey's Gate****  
**

**Chapter 31 of Choices of the Heart by DA Jones aka Ydnas Odell**

"Another Bass, love?"

The oil dealer flashed his best Texas smile at the little red-headed British pub waitress, and wondered to himself whether it would be proper to call her a wench. Did the British still do that? She was awful pretty, and he was getting a bit tired of his current wife. Two years was a long time for him to be married, he was used to six month stints. Besides, although buxom she was getting old. She would be twenty-three in two weeks.

It wasn't that she wasn't great in the hay; she was, and unlike most men he could testify to that literally, but with a solid pre-nuptial change was good. He sighed. The only problem was that there was no way he was going to pick up this waitress with his wife sitting across from him.

Just then, even though he had yet to pinch her ass; the waitress dropped her tray with a clatter and squeaked, and the dealer's wife squealed: "Something's Fishy!" and pointed outside the window at the fishy thing: a floundering fishmonger with the upper body of a trout who was trotting past. But that wasn't the half of it.

Right outside the oil dealer's booth, as if the site of a half-man, half-fish wasn't astounding enough; was a riot of the monstrously impossible.

There was a talking potted plant with a potty mouth, who was cursing out a pot-bellied hippie with a florid shirt and floral nose for stealing his pot.

There was an honest-to-goodness Jackaloupe trying to graze from the plant, and a crane trying to take flight with a blanket wrapped baby dangling from its boom.

There was a hissing snake with a tuxedo (probably a New York Lawyer thought the Texan), and a galloping hoofed goose.

And this was only the first part of the monstrous menagerie that was running, cawing, crawling, flapping, hopping, flopping, twisting and hissing south on Storey's Gate. Sirens wailed. The Texan half expected them to be the mythical kind.

"Terrorists!" someone in the pub shouted: "It must be some sort of bio-terrorism!"

"No, its aliens!" said another. "Haven't you ever seen: _'Men-In-Black'_?"

But the oilman only knew that either; he had drunk too much (he had been drinking all day and mostly hard stuff), or that preacher Pat's apocalypse was coming true. Or maybe, someone was making a damn fine movie.

Yes, that was the answer. He downed his remaining Bass in one gulp and said calmly to his too-old wife: "Honey (for was the old Gushi bags name), how much you reckon…they're spending on this here little 'ol movie."

"Depends on the exchange rate," answered his ancient wife non-chalantly renewing her nibbling of her fish and chips. She knew all about money, and even more about shoes. All Honey ever did was spend Dallas sized sums of her husband's money on her Texas sized shoe collection (and there wasn't one decent pair of spurred boots in the bunch!) "Pounds are worth more than dollars."

A rainbow of flashes lit-up the darkening sky over the Treasury, where a mere two hours ago the couple had visited the Cabinet War room and now the Texan became aware of nearby gunfire. More sirens went off, and as the dealer watched a squadron of blue-clad horsemen with red plumes like those at the Horse Guard galloped past, nearly flattening a seemingly disorientated girl in navy blue robes, and a fleeing stroller-pushing mother who had antlers.

"Honey, I think…"

There was a loud pop and Honey screamed, and the oil dealer's ten-gallon hat went flying, and suddenly there was a young curvy, dark complexioned, olive eyed teen, dressed in a thin red robe sitting comfortably on his lap. He was shocked, but rather pleased. For there was a strong streak of dirty old man in the dealer.

She struggled to get up, but somehow the back of her robe had become attached to his pants. She pulled out a stick from a pocket, waived it (there was a ripping sound) and stood up. There was now a large hole on the thigh of his pants, and the pants cloth was now somehow attached to back part of her robe.

Straightening herself she said: "Sorry for that, sir. I was aiming for Downing Street, but the Death Eaters seem to have anti-apparation wards up and they bounced me here."

Confused in his slow drawl the Texan asked: "Anti-apparating wards?"

She looked around. "Oh, right your an American muggle aren't you?"

While everyone else was pressed against the windows watching in shock at what was happening outside, the oil dealer just stared at the new arrival. For she was very gorgeous in an exotic way.

"Who are you?"

"Parvati Patil….a good witch…and those," she said pointing "to keep it short, are the bad wizards, I suggest you stay in the pub, sir. As for me, I have a father to save."

And with that she forced her way out of the door, the bell tinkling after her.

--

Just before Parvati ran out the door of the pub; Alicia Spinnet apparated into the midst of the mad mob, and by virtue of one of her famous Spinnet spins just missed being run over by the Horse Guard. However, the spin couldn't save her from the desperate stroller-pushing antlered mother the Texan had seen and she was shouldered to the ground and nearly skewered.

But, before she could get up a brave pair of Westminster cops fired fruitlessly at the dark robed Death Eaters who were laughing and swooping overhead, and the animalistic crowd reacted by surging forward and threatening to trample her.

Alicia tried to swim against the rush, but she couldn't even rise to her feet, couldn't even breathe due to the press of bodies. She dropped her broom and a galloping goose stomped it to pieces.

**"Spinnet!" **

The strong arms of Terrance Higgs desperately reached out into the crowd, and somehow hooked a part of her robe, and reeled her hard across the concrete, bruising her back even as she took several hard accidental hooves and boots to the face from fleeing muggles. Pulling her up, he shielded her against his chest, cradling her head, while the two were of them were battered against storefronts.

Somewhere to her right Wilma White screamed.

"Don't look!" said Higgs.

But she couldn't stop herself and turned.

The mouth of her friend the chaser and auror Wilma White was screaming from under a pair of jeans that were clad to what used to be the backside of a tight muggle bum. She and the muggle had 'splanched'; which was the opposite of 'splinching'. Apparating in such close quarters, into a crowd was dangerous and Wilma had paid the price.

What had been Wilma, was now a horrid howling thing; half blond Wilma, half a spiky red-haired teen with a nose ring; half muggle, half man, half a woman, half faced-right, half-faced left, half upside down, half right-side up, eight opposing twitching limbs, with a half-broken broom through the chest; hovering perhaps six feet up .

Her hand shaking with grief and horror Alicia knew that given the situation there was only one thing to do. Raising her wand she shouted: _"Exitiabilis". _A blue streak sailed forward and the Wilma-muggle conglomerate crashed to the ground. Dead. Wilma was released.

Never had a death curse seemed so merciful to Alicia before.

But the muggle half of the splanched-thing still jerked and moaned.

The unfortunate creature had two brains; so she would have to cast another of the Scrimegour approved Ravenclaw cerebral death spells. So she did: _"Exitiabilis!" _

Barely a muggle noticed; all to frightened to care. And after-all, the Wilma-muggle conglomerate was hardly the only strange sight this night.

Meanwhile, the tide lessened some, and a bruised Oliver Wood backed out of it seemingly pulling a staggering Richard Bollers after him.

Then Alicia saw that Oliver and Richard had also splanched, and Oliver's right middle finger was embedded to the knuckle in Richards's ear.

_"Diffindo!"_ Oliver severed his own finger, which proceeded to bleed profusely, but he had freed himself, and he turned ans after straightening his navy blue Puddlemere robes said:

"Puddlemere! Puddlemere United get ready! We attack now. We have to stop the Death Eaters! Their using human transfiguration on the muggles!"

--

At Downing St, security was running everywhere. Hardened men, elites of the MI services, or the parachute brigade were in pure states of shock. Secretaries were crying, phones were ringing non-stop, while tellies, radios and alarms blared, and computers bleeped, but the only noise that concerned the Minister was the cacophony of machine guns in the background and the racket of explosions.

And the worst, was that he knew, unlike the others, that the defense would be to no avail. According to Shacklebolt, magicians just couldn't be killed, by ordinary 'muggle' methods. At least no easily. It was sort of like fighting comic book characters the minister supposed. Like Superman, or Supermen wizards could fly or walk through bullets, but somewhere out there, most likely at the school called Hogwarts was the 'Superboy' known as Harry; whom Shacklebolt claimed could save them all, but Harry wasn't here now.

The Minister was terrified, but more for his family than himself. An enemy he didn't understand was coming closer and brave men were dying futilely to protect him. He was sitting at his desk, his head in his hands, the useless pistol his aid had insisted on handing him, in his right hand.

One of the guards was urging him to flee.

"No," he said "we have to wait until Shacklebolt returns."

"What's so bloody important about Shacklebolt?" asked the exasperated guard. "Sir, we have to go.."

"He knows...what we face."

"How can he? What's out there is bloody impossible!"

In the chair across from him, a bemused doctor was trying to aide a guard whose hand had been shrunk to the size of a dolls. The guards, was screaming: "Let me go! There's nothing wrong with me! It's just a small hand!"

Could Tolkein imagine such things? Could Crowning, or even King.

The idea was to implausible to be real. He had told that to himself many times, but it was. There was just no doctrine for this kind of thing, no national security plan, no logic to it either. He'd like to see Hawking try to explain magic.

Security and the horse guard were brave, but it was only a matter of time, until they fell. For trying to resist was like trying to make a last stand in your home against, well...reality manipulators. One might as well be an ant facing Gods, well it wasn't that drastic, wizards and witches were mortal at least...but Downing street despite its defenses was no castle. God, the royal family... he had to be sure...wasn't the prince supposed to be with the Guard today on inspection?

The Prime Minister dared not do anything, not until Shacklebot... an ally.. an ally that he understood as little as he did his enemy, but an ally that he instintively trusted ( was it his charm or a charm?) reported.

Just then Shacklebolts bald head leaned into the room.

"Sir," he said "Easley's right, you have to leave right now! I don't think your guards can hold them at thegate for more than another few minutes, we just need you to get outside the door and then…"

"No," said the Prime Minister, I won't leave my wife and family behind!"

"They'll be safe here. Your the target. You must!"

"Jane's pregnant! Due any day! Any hour. Any moment!"

"Minister..." murmured Easley.

"I will not go anywhere my wife is not going, nor will I leave Tim behind." Tim was hudling behind the desk, holding on to his leg and howling.

"Minister, be reasonable! We can't carry a pregnant woman through a battlefield!"

"Protect her then, with your blasted magic!" Said the Prime Minister angrily.

"Magic?" asked Easley. "Who is he, Merlin?"

"No, Merlin's in my bedroom," said Timmy.

And Shacklebolt said: "As I've said it's not so easy!"

"If you can make a bloody portrait talk, you can shield a pregnant woman!"

"Minister, there are some spells that just can't be shielded. And they tend to be the deadly ones."

The Minister ignored the confused glance of Easley and the other security; no doubt they thought the Prime Minister and Shacklebolt had started to lose their minds due to the pressure. But maybe not, maybe what was going on outside woud lead them to the inescapable conclusion that the fantastic had become real.

"I thought you said I could take my family!"

"The situation has changed. It's much worse out there. And it's not just the enemy. Your guards are shooting up everything. Your security will be overwhelmed even with our help and all my reinforcements aren't here yet"

"I can't leave them!"

"You can't stay here!"

"They'll be held for ransom."

"You-know-who has no need for ransom, or hostages. He's too arrogant for that! It's you he wants!" The Minister knew he meant 'Lord Voldemort' of course.

"You can't be sure!"

"If you stay, he'll Imperio you like Minister Churley and do a much better job then his underlings. Only through you can he control the muggle government."

"If he has control of the them, he has control of me! Don't you see! Blast the government!"

"We'll, get them out too, but you have to be first, or all hope is lost!"

"You said, all hope lies with Harry."

"But hope for both the Harrys lies with you. Sir, Mr. Prime Minister. It's you or your family."

"Are you even part of my country?"

"I'm loyal to you. To your family, too! We'll get them all out!"

"But how do I know that, Shacklebolt. I don't know who you really are. Are you even British?"

--

Parvati knew that she had been nearly killed by her attempt at apparition. She had instinctively tried to go to her father, when she had seen him fighting on Figg's tellie; but Snape and the Death Eaters had placed powerful anti-apparation wards around Downing Street that had dismissively bounced her away, and only by a supreme effort of will had she kept herself together, but it had almost not mattered.

For instead she had almost splanched, the thought of accidently sharing her body with that old fat American made her shudder. Splanching was ten times worse than splinching. She had also exposed magic to a whole pub of muggles. At any other time she would have been in massive trouble with the ministry for violating the statute of secrecy; but right now she figured they had other troubles.

Troubles that her idiot father had stuck his neck into, but then she wasn't too bright in that department either; it ran in the family, generations of Patils had seemed to own an everlasting Indian copyright on foolish courage; and they weren't even Sikhs.

She hugged the storefronts to avoid the crowd, and hide in the shadows from the Death Eaters and fought her way north in the general direction of Downing Street; as she looked around for Padma or her mum. She had assumed that they would follow her, but they didn't appear to be near. There was no telling what effect the anti-apparation wards had had on them.

Wherever they were though, she knew that her mum was cursing Grandma for arranging her marriage to a Gryffindor, but at the moment, she would have much preferred it, if they were by her side cursing the Slytherins. Dad was in trouble.

They couldn't still be at Figgs. Ravenclaw's were passive, but not that passive; not when family was involved.

Parvati felt something pointy press against the back of her head.

"Hold it right there, Baa-aam!" said a strangely bleating voice.

Parvati blanched. A lamb headed cop with a combat helmet and green sea-foam skin had pressed a rifle point right against the base of her skull. If she moved. If she even...

"**You're one of them! Drop that stick! Place your hands were I can see them. Get on your knees, arms clenched behind your back or I will shoot you!"**

Having no choice. Parvati obeyed. And as a battle began to rage in earnest she lay as a meek lion before the lamb. Dad, Mum, Padma where the hell are you she thought.

Her dad was rather busy at the moment, but Parvati would have been pissed if she new that her mother and Padma were still at Ms. Figgs watching the tellie. In fact, Padma was rather transfixed.

* * *

_Quote: If you tell a big enough lie and tell it frequently enough, it will be believed. _

_Attribution:_ Adolf Hitler

**

* * *

****Chapter 32 of Choices of the Heart**

An Interlude in the Headmaster's Office

McGonagall waited for Anthony to disappear through the floo with his mother, and then collapsed. Hissing, she placed a hand in her robe, and removed it covered in blood.

"That Damn Greta!"

Blinking back the pain she climbed to her feet; the room was now filled with an acrid and smoky haze and a dark mark still hovered over the spot where Greta had killed Ira. Minerva dispelled it.

Some of the portraits were on fire, the occupants screaming, one witch was crying out in Latin_:_**_ "_**_Mei capilli sunt flagrantes!_**_" _**as her grayed poufy hair flared with flame.

Bits of silver and glass were scattered about and crunched as McGonagall walked; a peice of glass had lacerated her palm from her fall, and the blood from the two wounds had mixed on her hand. Books lay in piles, some beginning to smolder. Fawkes perch was engulfed in flame. Dumbledore would be mad. But….

A waive of agony hit her and she doubled over. She shoved her hand back into her robe and hummed. She slowed the bleeding, dulled the pain. She wasn't Pomfrey, but it would do for now.

Rising she scanned the room again.

Joy.

Dumbledore was awake, calmly looking out at her, his eyes almost twinkling, or were they reflecting flame, since his portrait was reefed in fire. How could he not be awake? The screaming of his fellow headmasters and headmistresses were enough to wake…well what he was.

She doused his portrait with _Aguamenti_, squirted out the Latin portraits hair and hosed down the other endangered headmasters.

There were cries of thanks, Fortescue bowed to the 'brave lady'.

Dumbledore beamed at her over his spectacles. "Yes, thank you Minerva and despite her actions I'm sure Ms. Granger-Parkinson would thank you as well, I doubt she intended to destroy her own work, whatever she thought of her subject."

"Albus…I.."

"Minerva, how's Harry?"

"Albus, what does Harry have to do? What's so special about him?"

"You know."

"You can't ask him to do that…if you couldn't defeat Tom, surely..."

"I was old and tired Minerva. Some things require youth."

"He's still a child, almost seventeen, but still so young."

"Minerva, Harry was never truly a child."

"True, although it's because against my advice you gave him to the horrible Dursley's."

He sighed. "Harry was safer there, the magic of Lily's love protected Harry from physical abuse, but not emotional; its the fearful who abuse, jealously and frustraton are all types of fear and Petunia was a far bigger coward then I could've imagined, she was ruled by fear. How she could've share blood with Lily Potter is a mystery even to me. My failure, as always was in underestimating the consequences of human frailty, an unexcusable failure, a weakness I never overcame. How I always forgot when I was so weak once that...Petunia is a very weak woman, Minerva and I didn't consider Vernon at all, I had dismissed him as non-consequential. But Vernpn traumatized the boy. It took him years too...that was my biggest msitake."

"Besides, trusting Snape?"

The portrait steepled his fingers. "Snape killed me?"

Her eyes were moist as she replied: "Yes, In front of Harry."

The portrait drew in breath as if deeply pained: "_Malum consilium quod mutari non potest."_"What bad plan, Albus? What bad plan can't you change?"

He fixed her with his eyes: "It doesn't matter any longer. From now on everything relies on Harry, you must do all you can to help him."

Exasperated she said: "Than, it would help if you told me what Harry has to do."

"Only Harry can do what Harry has to do."

"But, I can't help him, if I don't know how!"

"But you do know how."

"I'm not the warlock you are….were….I'm…a humble teacher, Albus."

"And so was I…there-in is your power."

"Albus….I cannot teach Harry anything that will defeat Voldemort, not unless I know..."

"You don't need to know, if Harry thinks you do he'll tell you…not before, but what you can do, what you must do to the best of your ability is teach...teach, teach the truth for even more than Protego it's our shield. Lies are Voldemort's ultimate weapon, Minerva. Repeat a lie often enough, as Grindelwald commented and it will soon become the truth. The anti-dote is vigorous, continous honesty, for big lies are only believed when all efforts to expose them are squelched. Teach the others and no matter what happens to Harry, as long as we fight back with the truth, Riddle will never win."

And with that he closed his eyes, about to drift off to sleep again, but at the last moment opened them and murmured one final urgent thing: "Minerva, make sure Harry has the sword. That might help."

He meant the sword of Gryffindor, of course. She took it out of the case. Held it over the desk and sighted along the length admiring the rubies, Harry had used this sword to save Ginny Weasley, who was now his girlfriend and his true love if McGonagall weren't mistaken (and she rarely was about these things). But the sword although powerful wouldn't be enough, Voldemort could call oh his own artifacts, she was certain of that. Harry would need more.

Minerva turned. There were wounded students in the castle and she had to find Harry and give him the sword. She moved towards the floo, but stopped when she spotted a sickly green glow outside the east facing window. To the southeast, past the corner of the lake she could just see...in the direction of the station…was that a Dark Mark?

Was the train under attack?

Was Voldemort here on the grounds?

Was Potter safe? She knew other students weren't. In any other time she would've gone to them first. In normal times the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, but this time Harry was an Atlas . The weight of the world rested on his shoulders, and Voldemort was swinging for his neck..

Everything might, no did depend on that neck.

Therefore, she hurried down the unmoving stairs, putting Harry first. Anthony and Tonks would have to cope. Half-way down the unmoving stairs she found a pile of rubble and a pool of blood. Angelina's? No body.

She crept the rest of the way much more silently.

* * *

a/n "_Malum consilium quod mutari non potest." _-- It's a bad plan and can't be changed.

"Mei capilli sunt flagrantes!_**" **_My hair is on fire

**

* * *

**

* * *

_Quote: We shall not enter into any of the abstruse definitions of war used by publicists. We shall keep to the element of the thing itself, to a duel. War is nothing but a duel on an extensive scale.__Attribution: CARL VON CLAUSEWITZ, On Wa_r

* * *

**Chapter 33: ****Maelstroms **

**The Choices of the Heart by DA Jones**

Hermione and Marietta were two of the brightest minds of Hogwarts, and two of the finest witches of their generation, but such was their concentration, that as they exited Hogwarts near the greenhouses, they failed to note the snake-eating skull glowing green over Hogsmeade station.

Under the skull they engaged again, and it was a tornadic torrent of elocution – a conflagration of charms, a Herculean hex-down; a whirling, twirling, dust-making, verb-making, epic eruption of erudition – a wands out, claws-out, mercy out, no quarter given, blood-letting donnybrook of lore -- a snarling, snippy, snappy, hissing cat fight in a library alley duel.

It was the sort of duel that could only have been conducted by two witches who had engaged in endless candlelight lucubration; until their candles were nubs and their quills were worn to nibs. All that studying, all that torturous reading of supervacaneous pleonastic trumpery written by somnificators with a knack for languid longueurs and nary a chrestomathic thought was only to find the rare pearls of wisdom. The unknown spell or the unique variation that could allow them to prevail over their opponent.

It was a verbatim study even for the non-verbal spells. For although not always spoken, magic was a verbal endeavour with intent its goal. You couldn't just say: boil you had to 'mean-it', and if verbal say it with the right inflection, otherwise your water could develop a boil instead of boiling. Which was one reason why their teachers encouraged large vocubalaries and the the use of Latin and other languages for verbal spells, it cut down on homographs.

And now they were dueling, intent on prevailing, Hermione to stop Marietta and so save Luna and so the world; Marietta to escape and so kill Luna and so save the world. It was a duel of mind, but strangely for an art defined and fueled by words it was more like fisticuffs between silent but feuding painters than polemic poetry.

The combat was fierce, but quiet; for each was casting wordlessly, but a multitude of colors were leaping from their wands and Marietta's staff like tie-dyed but dark-edged rainbows; a maelstrom of hues, a burlywood blow and silver strike; a plum parry and a coal counter; azure, moccasin, lace, lashing papaya whip, Marietta's rose madder; random shade after random angry shade – the gallimaufrious glow illuminating creeping shadows in the nearby forbidden forest.

But there was no Avada Kedavra green, no Ravenclaw blue, no certain shade of yellow - yet.

The use of exotic or complicated spells by warlocks tended to be much like the use of exotic or long words by vocabularians in that many a rare spell like many a rare word was mere wonderclout – showy and worthless. For ussually the right spell, like the right word was concise; for brevity was power and verbosity vanity. And so as they fought, as they circled, they were not casting complicated spells, but instead racking their brains for unique but simple ones – or trying to catch the other off guard with a bizarre or advantegous twist on a common spell.

But sometimes, an exotic word was right; when the object was rare, or the action, or the intent. Like murder.

Avada Kedavra. Two words, exotic when created; meant kill or more accurately in Armaic: 'destroy utterly'. No words, in any other language; not even those that fueled the other death spells had ever been as deadly, or as accurate.

And so, they had studied for the idea and the concise way to express the idea. To find the word that best expressed the intent.

Titanium white bubbled like a lava lamp and then crimson red splashed and Hermione shrieked for Tonk's 'seventies shield spell' had failed.

The combatants broke apart with a weary swirl of robes – to circle, staring down each other down with steely focus. Blood welled from Hermione's new wound. Marietta had nicked her left breast with a slicing hex and the pain, since the cut was in such a sensitive area was immense, plus the bra strap had been sliced also and the cup was slipping. She had to fight an urge to press it back. Modesty now could get her killed.

Feeling woozy she tried again with: "Expelliarmus!" but Marietta cried: "Protego!" and Hermione's red flash bounced away.

"I'll allow that Harry might have taught me one useful spell," said Marietta. "But, it'll take more than a simple disarming to beat me. Besides, I have an extra wand, remember!"

The Ravenclaw was making her last stand. Hold here and she would escape. It was a bad choice, thought Hermione; the suits of armor couldn't follow Marietta out here.

With a foul whoop Marietta hurled herself at Hermione's weak side and they clashed again, this time physically; Marietta wielding the Staff or Bo of Barnabes as a bat to bash aside Hermione's wand. But Hermione spun, shoved the Ravenclaw aside, and shouted: "Impedimenta!"

Marietta flew back and went sliding across the wet lawn.

To Hermione's advantage Marietta hadn't figured out how to use most of the staff's runes – that would take time and study Hermione knew, something you couldn't really do in the midst of a fight. So she had to keep the pressure on and not allow the Ravenclaw any time to think.

Hermione's wound was throbbing, running freely and she felt faint. Her breathing was labored. And Marietta? Marietta was just mad.

So Hermione thought: "Pugnulim!" and a huge mud hand formed behind Marietta and grabbed at her from her blindside, but at the last moment Marietta spied it and dodging left rolled on her shoulder as the hand closed on air. It then tried to backhand her, but Marietta sprang aside again and cried: "Saxum!" and the hand coalesced into fixed stone; a statue on the Hogwarts lawn.

Dear God, thought Hermione I'm not going to win. She still has spring. And that means Luna….

"Stupefy!"

"Protego!" It was tossed off flippantly as if the effort meant nothing to Marietta. "Come on now, you can do better than that, Hermione?" she mocked. "What's happened to the brightest witch of her year?"

Hermione leapt at Marietta; but Marietta brought up a knee into her wounded breast and Hermione fell back with a grunt, gasping from the searing pain and then Marietta was running again.

But from the ground Hermione gathered her wits and fired a desperate spell: "Avisiwasi!"

And a flock of small birds circled her head once and flew at Marietta, dive-bombing her, turning her back, making her shriek as she struck at them with the staff; and as a blast of energy downed one, Hermione obtained her feet and Marietta struck back with her wand crying out loud: "Sexaserpentsortia!".

Six snakes slithered forward and set to battle with Hermione's canaries, wrens and crows and as the conjured wildlife battled the witches engaged again.

"Rictumsempra!"

"Tartallengra!"

And Hermione was laughing and Marietta dancing while, the onlookers, the shadows in the forest were transfixed; and waiting; holding back the strange urge for applause; awaiting the opportune moment to strike.

"Give it up Hermione, you can't win!"

"Ha, Ha Never!"

"I just don't understand why you fight so hard for the loon?"

"She's my friend."

"Well, I'm sorry for your loss. What does she have minutes left? All I have to do is get off the grounds, apparate away with this staff and Luna will die. The problem will be solved. Finite Incantatum. The prophecy will fail. The world will be safe."

"There's still Voldemort."

Marietta hissed. She hated that name. "I'll help you kill the Dark Lord, after I've dealt with Luna."

Marietta threw a honeydew hex but Hermione blocked it and with Luna on her mind responded with a radish reply that blasted Marietta backward, sending her sprawling and the staff flying from her left handed grip. Hermione lunged after it; but with an enraged effort Marietta leapt and tackled her from behind as she passed, driving the Gryffindor hard into the grass; causing Hermione to grunt in pain and lose her wand and the last of her wind; but Marietta had also badly bruised her staff arm in the process.

For a moment they lay there, Marietta sprawled exhausted across Hermione's back, flexing her left arm; rubbing the bruises; while Hermione gasped for air like a fish. But then Marietta pushed herself away from Hermione and began to crawl and then rose shakily to her knees; scanning for the staff, but before she could find it Hermione hurtled into her, leading head first and then they were punching, scratching, screeching, wrestling, and pulling one another's hair; rolling down the slight slope over and over, their angry unintentional magic burning each others exposed skin as they struggled; and somewhere in their rolling they rolled over Hermione's wand and it snapped.

--

Meanwhile near Dumbledore's office, Angelina awoke again with her vision a sea of red. Greta was snarling: "_Potter? Oh.. The Dark Lord will be most pleased!"_ Angelina was bound and weak as a kitten, but she squirmed around and managed to turn her head to look. Greta had Harry at wand point backed against the railing. Harry was looking over it as if he had drooped something.

"HARRY! Harry Run!"

"Angelina?!"

"HARRY RUN!" With superhuman effort summoned from the courage of heart Angelina rolled into the back of Stanley's knees knocking him over.

"Stanley!" cried Greta turning as Harry reached over the bannister and shouted: "Accio wand!" and Angelina blacked out again.

--

Hermione was a much larger girl than Cho, so the physical fight was more even than Marietta's earlier fight with the Ravenclaw, but Marietta had more breathe and Hermione was bleeding.

Each witch was convinced that the future depended on the outcome. Hermione because she had promised Harry that no one else would die, at least no one close and here they were just begun and Luna was dying; and if she lost not only would Luna die, but Harry might lose all his hope and if that happened…".

And Marietta? Insane or not she was convinced that she had to escape with the Bo of Barnabes. For even though what was about to happen was horrid, and even though she had promised herself that she would help Harry if she could; she knew that even if he prevailed, and she hoped he would -- he couldn't save the world; not for long, for he was too close to Luna, who would with the aid of Justin conceive its destruction. Marietta's had no doubt that the terrible prophecies about Luna's child were true and that only she could prevent it, and escaping with the Staff would help, as if she was lucky and Justin died from his wound, she might even be able to use the staff to aide Harry in his own fight.

She reached in her robes for the knife, the same knife with which she had killed Michael. She only wished that Michael had lived and that Madam Pomfrey hadn't been so foolhardy. She knew that in the end that no one would understand and that even if Harry won she would still go to Azkaban. And she knew that she deserved it. She had killed innocents (even Luna because she couldn't be blamed for the actions of her future child) and she had killed her friend.

But whatever sacrifices she would have to make, whatever terrible things she had yet to do; whatever terrible fate awaited her it was worth it.

No one would know her as a hero, they would always think her a villain – but in the end magic would continue. And that was the important thing; for to Marietta a world without the flow of magic was like a world without love; a terrible sterility of spirit; more than a world without color – a world without grey.

She drew the still bloody dagger.

--

Meanwhile, at the corner of Storey's Gate and Great George Street opposite the looming bulk of the Treasury, Parvati Patil was under arrest. In the twilight she knelt with her hands cuffed behind her back, as the panicked but thinning crowd parted around her. The agitated lamb-head officer still held a rifle point to her head. She had handed over her wand.

Storey's Gate was in complete chaos, Death Eaters were attacking the muggles while swooping low on brooms, green flashes everywhere. There were puddles of blood, piles of transfigured and mutilated bodies, muggles shooting in the air. Her father was in terrible danger.

"I know what you are bleated the officer, you're a witch like something KJ Crowing cooked up, or one of those wizards Lauren's father used to claim…but Crowning's witches are comic and you…your kind is not so comic."

"I'm just a person like you, and I'm just trying to find my father," pleaded Parvati.

"I'm taking you in." He thumbed his radio. It was all static. "Why won't this work?"

"Because high levels of unshielded magic interfere with muggle electronics."

"So you are a witch."

"Yes, but you need to understand…what's going on here, it's you-know-who, bad-guys…necromancers...its not…it's a small part of our society gone bad and I'm…

"Trying to stop it?"

"No, just to find my father…I…look around you…there's others fighting them. Aurors, our cops trying to pro – Look Out!"

"Avada Kedavra!" cried a voice from above them.

--

Half a block away Terrance Higgs told Alicia Spinnet to mount up behind him. "There's no spare broom and you can't stay here."

Quickly she climbed aboard, wrapping her arms tight around his supple waist and with Oliver's order they soared straight-up climbing two-hundred feet above Great George Street and formed with their teammates into a leaping sideways banking 'V' and soared over the Treasury, just as there was a flash from just below and Alicia almost recognized a scream; and then in a second their wing of Puddlemere United had whipped over Parliament square, past Big Ben and just under the skids of a whirling news copter and then the Thames was below reflecting the red of the setting sun and then they were aside Westminster Bridge and then they reversed course, banking above the opposite shore and aiming down for the narrow alley of Downing Street; for the mouth of a flaming maelstrom.

"Keep your head down and hang on!" shouted Higgs as they dove. "This should be fun!"

--

And at Hogwarts:

Marietta raised the knife and Hermione grabbed her wrist, burning it with her enraged magic and they rolled again and Hermione was on top and she punched Marietta and the Ravenclaw dropped the knife and then they rolled again and Marietta came free and grabbed the staff, rising to cast as Hermione scrambled for and blindly flung the blade -- and a man howled.

Climbing to her feet, Hermione quickly noted Marietta's confusion, as well the knife sunk into the arm of a shaggy impoverished man. Behind him was a Dark Mark, flames and flashes. Hogwarts was under siege and inarticulate cries and static were coming over the audiowyrm. Luna and the others were dying and her wand was broken and Marietta….where stood Marietta?

The two of them were entrapped by a group of these men and as Hermione stared their leader loped forward. Like all of them he was shaggy and scruffy looking, but his scruffiness was somehow shiner than the others. He was very tall and thin and grey haired with long nails and sharp yellow teeth and held a thin wand. But he looked far more likely to use his hands and teeth than his wand. "Let me introduce myself." said the frightening stranger with a dramatic bow. "I'm Fenrir Greyback and you Hermione Granger smell like young fresh mud blood meat!"

He instantly charged on all fours and even before Hermione could screech, he was at her throat. But then there was a sudden shout of "No!" and a maroon flash and Greyback was thrown away from her. Hermione stood, taking a hand from Marietta who was suddenly at her side, but looking pale.

All the Ravenclaw said softly was: "He helped kill my mother. I recognized him. I hate you… but I couldn't let him…."

They backpedaled as wolf-like snarls came from their left and right and another pair of shadows crept from the woods. Counting Greyback they were now facing nine shaggy, destitute but vicious looking men and one blond woman.

Hermione hissed to Marrieta: "They're werewolves."

The Ravenclaw nodded. Three of the men and the one woman were flanked to the left of Greyback and spread-out and the four men on the right formed a delta-wing. Nine werewolves, on all fours but not transformed yet. It was approaching vespers; the full moon would rise within minutes. The wolf-men padded in, circling, cutting off retreat to Hogwarts.

And it was then on the verge of the direst predicament that she had ever faced; that at the very extreme limits of the audiowyrm's range she heard Ron cry out: "To all DA, help!" and then scream a moment later: "Die Zabini!"

"RON!"

"This is no time to worry about anyone else," snapped Marietta, "here take this wand…it belonged to that freak-face in the ward."

"Bill?"

One of the men actually growled, the sun was sinking fast.

The wolf-men had forced them back to the wall of the nearest greenhouse; Hermione felt glass against her rear. Marietta was a step or two to her left; she was reaching towards Hermione with the wand.

"Whatever…take it!" I have Michael's wand and the….."

As Marietta tossed the wand, the wolf-women leapt at the Ravenclaw and bowled her over, still human teeth snapping at her neck, but Marietta brought the tip of her staff up and ….

There was an explosion of light and the wolf-women howled, but Hermione couldn't see…..she was too distracted from her own battle as she caught the wand and turned in one motion to catch an enemy in mid-leap with a stinging hex. Baying he crashed against the window pane to her left, between her and Marietta and it shattered and he fell momentarily stunned. Now the second and the third to the right were trying a pincer move on her, while Greyback himself stood back his wand drawn as if waiting.

Then Greyback began to mutter an incantation as Marietta screamed: "LANGLOCK! Take that you werewolf bitch!" and Hermione following Ron's example said shakily into the audiowyrm:

"To all DA…WEREWOLVES…This is Hermione, I'm at the greenhouses…It's Greyback and his gang….oh, Dear Merlin….HELP! Ron I love you!"


End file.
